UN experts say Belarus justice system used to target Lukashenko opponents

September 15, 2026 at 03:21 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

UN experts have found that Belarusian state institutions have worked together to repress government critics through arrests, imprisonment, and surveillance since 2020. The experts said courts, police, security services, prosecutors, and prison authorities had worked together to silence real or perceived opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko. The findings come three years after mass protests erupted following the August 2020 presidential elections.

Key Facts

UN experts found systematic violations of international human rights obligations from arrest through detention, conviction, and post-release supervision.
The experts said Belarus violated multiple international treaties and reiterated that some abuses committed since May 2020 could amount to crimes against humanity.
More than 900 political prisoners are still being held in Belarus, according to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna.
US envoy John Coale arrived in Minsk on Tuesday for his first talks in six months with Lukashenko to negotiate the release of political prisoners.

Systematic Repression

The UN experts said they found “systematic” violations of international human rights obligations from arrest through to detention, conviction, and post-release supervision. They cited arbitrary arrests, torture, denial of legal safeguards, closed trials, and the continued harassment of former detainees. The report said the judiciary had played a key role by legitimising abuses and denying victims effective remedies. The experts said Belarus violated multiple international treaties and reiterated earlier findings that some abuses committed since May 2020 could amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution and imprisonment.

Political Prisoners and Diplomacy

Former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski told Reuters last month that despite recent prisoner releases secured through United States engagement with Minsk, “the machinery of repression keeps running.” On Tuesday, US envoy John Coale arrived in Minsk for his first talks in six months with Lukashenko to negotiate the release of political prisoners. According to the Belarusian human rights group Viasna, more than 900 political prisoners are still being held in Belarus.