UN demands release of Belarusian political prisoner Aliaksandr Kashpul

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, a part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures, has issued a conclusion on the case of the Belarusian political prisoner Aliaksandr Kashpul.

Aliaksandr Kashpul

The conclusion was prepared on the basis of a complaint submitted by the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Unions (BKDP), the Rabochy Rukh Assoication, and the human rights organization “Respect-Protect-Fulfill”.

In 2021, Aliaksandr Kashpul, a former legal counsel of the Polymer plant of the NAFTAN oil refinery, an activist and member of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP) and the Rabochy Rukh initiative, was detained by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) at one of the border control points at the Russian-Ukrainian border and then transferred to the Belarusian KGB. 

The case against Kashpul “was stitched together with white yarn”: Lukashenka’s security forces charged him uinder three articles of the Criminal Code: “illegal handling of firearms, ammunition, and explosives”, “creation of an extremist entity or participation therein”, and “high treason”. As a result, the lawyer was sentenced to 15 years in jail.

While drafting the conclusion, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention sent messages and questions about Aliaksandr Kashpul to the Governments of Belarus and the Russian Federation. Both countries replied, claiming that there had been no rights violations against the BNP activist.

It would have been strange to hear something different from the countries. That said, the Belarusian Government never challenged the fact that Kashpul’s arrest and detention were based solely on his political convictions, yet they said that the detention was carried out in compliance with the national legislation of Belarus.

The UN investigation has led to the decision that Aliaksandr Kashpul’s incarceration is in conflict with six articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and seven articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and, consequently, is arbitrary.

The BKDP representative Elena Smirnova note, in her interview to “”Salidarnast”, that The UN Working Group has received two more complaints beside the Aliaksandr Kashpul case, one concerns the political prisoner and union leader Artem Zhernak with the similar conclusion reached for his case (Artem was released in May 2025, having served his prison term in full), the other concerns the political prisoner and trade union leader Volha Brytsikava whose case is being investigated.

“We can only submit a complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention with the consent of the political prisoners themselves or their relatives. The relatives are afraid to file complaints, fearing that this will lead to the deterioration of their near and dear’s situation in prison with their detention regime made considerably harsher. And, unfortunately, this is indeed what has repeatedly happened. We have to remain silent about numerous cases of blatant human rights violations which are nothing short of torture because of the direct threat to the lives and health of the imprisoned union leaders and activists”.

And yet we hope that the UN Working Groups decision on Aliaksandr Kashpul and others will serve to further strengthen the international community’s political will to achieve the release of all political prisoners including union leaders and activists because now it is not only the International Labour Organization speaking of workers’ rights violations but the UN as well. So, the whole world believes that there is a huge problem with human rights in Belarus today, including the right to freedom of association, and that people are detained without cause and, equally unlawfully, thrown behind bars.

The UN Working group’s opinion is that, taking into account all circumstances of the Aliaksandr Kashpul case, the appropriate remedy would be his immediate release. The Working Group urges the Governments of Belarus and Russia to undertake a complete and unbiased investigation of the circumstances surrounding Kashpul’s groundless imprisonment and take appropriate measures with regard to persons responsible for the violation of his rights.

The Working Group reserved the right to undertake its own actions, should new information about Aliaksandr Kashpul appear, suggesting that his situation may be jeopardized. The conclusion also notes that the UN calls upon all its member-states to cooperate with the Working Group; asks them to take its opinions into account; and, if necessary, take appropriate steps to set right the situation of those who have been unlawfully imprisoned and inform the Group about such steps.

Victoria Leontieva

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