OSCE rapporteur points out impunity in Belarus

May 11, BPN. Professor Hervé Ascensio has presented his report on human rights in Belarus after November 2020 to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council.

He found that impunity and lack of effective remedies pose a significant threat to the OSCE human dimension. “Without accountability and justice, there can be no security and stability in the long run on the European continent,” Ascensio said.

The Moscow Mechanism rapporteur recommended that Belarus reform its laws to comply with international standards and that OSCE states bring those responsible for the crackdown in Belarus to account through national, regional or international procedures.

OSCE member states invoked the fact-finding mechanism with regard to Belarus two months ago. “We encourage the Belarus authorities to cooperate fully with the expert mission and facilitate its work,” the US State Department principal deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel, said at the time.

Belarus dismissed the mechanism as “an outdated tool from another historical era.”

Ascensio did not receive cooperation from the Belarusian government and relied on public sources and interviews.