UN Human Rights Experts Urge Belarus to end ill-Treatment of Prisoners Convicted on Terrorism and Extremism Charges

A group of United Nations human rights experts today called on Belarusian authorities to promptly and effectively investigate serious allegations of ill-treatment involving prisoners convicted of terrorism- and extremism-related offences.

In their letter to the authorities, the experts voiced deep concern about three individuals—two women and one man—serving lengthy prison sentences under such charges. According to credible reports, these prisoners are being denied appropriate medical care and are subjected to inhumane treatment, placing their health at risk of serious and potentially irreversible harm.

“We urge the authorities to immediately launch a thorough and impartial investigation into these allegations and to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of the prisoners’ physical integrity and health, including considering pardons or sentence commutations to non‑custodial sanctions,” the experts stated.

The experts noted with concern that some of these allegations—specifically concerning two of the prisoners—had already been communicated to the government, yet no remedial action has been taken.

They also underscored that the incarceration of one of the female prisoners may relate directly to her socio‑political publications, constituting a violation of her freedom of expression.

“The Belarusian legal framework governing counter‑terrorism and anti‑extremism remains an ongoing source of concern,” the experts said. “We continue to receive reports of individuals being convicted under these charges—and publicly listed as terrorists or extremists—in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights, without due process or access to effective legal remedies to challenge such determinations”.

They highlighted that the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has issued several legal opinions documenting the misuse of anti‑extremism legislation in Belarus. They renewed their call for the Belarusian authorities to reform both the legal framework and law enforcement practices, bringing them into compliance with international human rights obligations.

According to human rights defenders, around 1,300 political prisoners are currently held in Belarusian prisons. Many of them have been officially designated as “extremists” and “terrorists.” Among them are leaders and activists of independent trade unions who have been subjected to repression for defending workers’ rights.

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