On 4 December 2020, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Edgars Rinkēvičs, took part in an interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, concerning her report on the human rights situation in Belarus.
The Minister underlined in his remarks that the human rights situation in Belarus is deteriorating. “Latvia finds it particularly alarming that the lack of an independent and impartial investigation into human rights violations manifestly deprives the victims of the actions of Belarusian authorities of effective remedies under the law, and the number of reported human rights violations continues to grow,” the Minister noted. Edgars Rinkēvičs reiterated his call on the Belarusian Government to cooperate with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
During the dialogue, High Commissioner Bachelet provided an oral update on the human rights situation in Belarus. The report was prepared at the request of several countries, including Latvia, and to follow up on the Resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council concerning the human rights situation in Belarus which was adopted in September 2020.
Background information
The United Nations Human Rights Council is the principal human rights body in the UN system responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. During the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, an extraordinary debate was held on the human rights situation in Belarus and consequently the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the situation of human rights in Belarus.