Background and objectives of these calls

The Human Rights Council established the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus in 2012 by its resolution 20/13 and has since renewed the mandate annually. As in previous years, the latest resolution 53/19, adopted on 13 July 2023, requests the Special Rapporteur, inter alia, to monitor the situation of human rights in Belarus, make recommendations and submit a report to the Human Rights Council.

The upcoming report, to be presented at the Council’s 56th session in June 2024, will cover the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. In addition to the general overview of the human rights situation in Belarus, the 2024 report will focus on the exercise of the right to freedom of association with others.

Moreover, as massive human rights violations have compelled many Belarusian residents and organizations to leave the country since 2020, the Special Rapporteur pays continuous attention to the situation of Belarusians living in exile with no possibility to safely return to Belarus. In 2022, she devoted her report to the General Assembly (A/77/195) to this issue, formulating recommendations for Belarusian authorities, other States, the international community and international organizations. As a follow-up to this report, the Special Rapporteur would like to assess whether and how stakeholders have followed on her recommendations, and to examine the impact of recent legal and policy developments in Belarus on the situation of Belarusian citizens abroad.

Key questions and types of input sought

1. For the upcoming report to the Human Rights Council, input is sought on human rights developments in Belarus between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, with a particular interest in input on the exercise of the right to freedom of association with others, including the right not to join an association. Information is collected with regard to all types of associations, including public and private companies, non-profit associations, political parties, trade unions, professional organizations, groups in social networks, etc.

2. As a follow-up to her 2022 thematic report to the General Assembly on Belarusians compelled to exile, the Special Rapporteur is collecting information on:
   1. the number of Belarusian nationals who have left Belarus since 2020, the reasons for their departure, their current location and legal status in host countries;
   2. measures taken by Belarusian authorities, other States and international organizations in order to implement the recommendations formulated by the Special Rapporteur in her 2022 report;
   3. the impact on human rights of Belarusian nationals residing abroad of administrative, legislative and other measures taken by Belarusian authorities since 2022, including the 4 September 2023 Presidential Decree No. 278 on consular services, as well as
   4. responses to these measures adopted by host countries;
   5. cases of overcompliance by public and private actors, including notably banks, with international sanctions, resulting in the violation of prohibition of discrimination.