belarus

A flower is held in peaceful protest against the disputed presidential election in Belarus.
Kseniya Halubovich

Human rights in Belarus continue downward spiral, warns Bachelet

24 September 2021
Human Rights

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that she continues to be alarmed by “persistent allegations” of “widespread and systematic torture” of protesters in Belarus. 

Students in grades 1 to 6 have restarted school in Herat, Afgahnistan, but girls in grades 7-12 have not been attending classes.
© UNICEF/Sayed Bidel

News in Brief 24 September 2021

24 September 2021
News in Brief
  • COVID19 virus ‘blocker’ treatment gets WHO green light 
  • Situation in Belarus has continued to worsen in 2021, says UN rights chief 
  • Taliban can’t rule Afghanistan without us women, says mayor who fled Kabul 
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Asylum-seekers and migrants have been transiting through Belarus in order to reach the European Union.
UNDP

UN agencies shocked by deaths near Belarus-Poland border 

21 September 2021
Migrants and Refugees

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and migration agency IOM, called on Tuesday for an immediate investigation into the deaths of four people near the border between Poland and Belarus, due to causes yet to be determined.  

IOM works in Minsk, Belarus, to counter stigma and discrimination against migrants.
Photo: IOM

IOM concerned for migrants facing ‘dire conditions’ at EU-Belarus border

6 September 2021
Migrants and Refugees

Migrants are facing “dire conditions” at the European Union-Belarus border, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned on Monday. 

Protestors at the March of Peace and Independence in Minsk, Belarus (file photo).
Unsplash/Andrew Keymaster

Belarus: ‘Full-scale assault’ ongoing against civil society amid massive human rights violations

5 July 2021
Human Rights

Belarus has witnessed an unprecedented human rights crisis over the past year, the independent expert appointed to monitor the country said on Monday, calling on authorities to immediately end their policy of repression and fully respect the legitimate aspirations of their people.

Protesters vent their anger at the results of the presidential election in Belarus in 2020. (file)
Kseniya Halubovich

Rights experts decry ‘black hole’ for media freedoms in Belarus

7 June 2021
Human Rights

UN independent human rights experts have called for the immediate release of a jailed social media activist in Belarus amid what they described as a “black hole” for media freedoms in the country, according to a statement issued on Monday. 

World Food Programme (WFP) food distribution in Kaya, Burkina Faso.
WFP/Mahamady Ouedraogo

News in Brief 7 June 2021

7 June 2021
News in Brief
  • Condemnation for brutal Burkina Faso attack
  • Belarus a 'black hole' for media freedoms
  • Haiti: aid access call amid rise in gang violence
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A Ryanair plane at an airport in Italy. (file)
Unsplash/Lucas Davies

5 things you should know about ICAO, the UN aviation agency

26 May 2021
Law and Crime Prevention

In response to the apparent forced landing of a commercial passenger plane in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, convened an urgent diplomatic meeting on Thursday. What is ICAO saying about the incident, and what powers does the agency have? 

Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

Belarus: UN human rights office calls for ‘immediate release’ of Roman Protasevich

25 May 2021
Human Rights

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has strongly condemned the arbitrary detention of an opposition journalist in Belarus, calling it an “astonishing episode” that heralds a new phase in the campaign of repression against journalists and civil society there. 

UN peacekeepers conduct foot and vehicle patrols in the centre of Mali.
MINUSMA/Gema Cortes

News in Brief 25 May 2021

25 May 2021
News in Brief
  • Call for release of Mali leaders after 'attempted coup'
  • 'New phase' of Belarus repression warns UN rights office
  • South Asia health systems risk collapse due to COVID: UNICEF
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