The situation in Belarus seems to be deteriorating. Here is an urgent appeal by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH):

The Observatory has been informed about the judicial harassment against the Human Rights Centre ‘Viasna’ as reprisals for its work documenting human rights abuses and providing legal assistance to victims amid the ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders and organisations in Belarus.

On February 16, 2021, the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus revealed that a preliminary investigation into the activities of “organisations that position themselves as human rights organisations” was ongoing. It is clear that the statement of the Investigative Committee refers to ‘Viasna’: on the same day, within the framework of the preliminary investigation, the Main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted searches in Viasna’s headquarters in Minsk, the offices of its regional branches, in the apartments of ‘Viasna’’s employees and in apartments of dozens of other human rights defenders and activists across the country. Earlier, a criminal case was opened into Viasna’s activities under Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus on “organising or preparing actions that grossly violate the public order or taking active part in such actions”.

On February 24, 2021, in connection with the visit of foreign diplomats to ’Viasna’ on February 22, 2021, the press secretary of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus confirmed that “judicial proceedings are conducted against the employees of an officially unregistered non-governmental organisation in connection with suspicions of illegal financial activity, including the use of illegal resources from abroad”.

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