UN human rights experts have recommended “immediate and fair investigation” of the deaths of political prisoners in Belarus, citing government action against individuals who speak out against government actions. Thousands of activists, oppositional voices, and civil society members have been arrested since the August 2020 presidential election in Belarus due to peaceful protests and speaking out against the government. Many of these detainees have died in custody due to their prison’s actions, lack of care, or neglect.
According to a statement by the UN Human Rights Office, these experts stated that there were suspected deaths of prisoners-people jailed for political expression in Belarusian prisons. They put out calls due to their reputed concerns regarding the continuing circumstances in Belarus in light of the 2020 presidential elections, the rising number of political prisoners, and the continued suppression of civil freedoms.
Cases That Gave Rise to Global Concern
The UN experts produced several examples that show a pattern of abuse and neglect in Belarusian penal institutions:
- Valiantsin Shtermer died in custody. He was a stroke survivor at the time he appeared before Belarusian courts, having been arrested for speaking out against Russia’s war in Ukraine in March 2022.
- Vitold Ashurak, an opposition activist, died under suspicious conditions in isolation in 2021.
- Alés Puškin, an internationally recognized artistic figure, died while in custody after being denied medical care.
- The Belarus government has failed to respond to the UN’s requests they respond to the UN letter to explain the aforementioned cases.
#Belarus: UN experts call for investigations into deaths in custody of individuals who were deprived of their liberty for expressing political dissent.
https://t.co/sCTU8jIPSn pic.twitter.com/o5O5GqmbiE— UN Special Procedures (@UN_SPExperts) July 16, 2025
The UN experts are concerned that these individuals may have been subject to death in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights. Rights such as the right to freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest. They reminded Belarus of its global human rights commitments to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Treaties prohibit torture, cruel treatment, and cruel punishment.
They also referred to the UN’s Mandela Rules on the treatment of prisoners that state that every prisoner must always be treated with dignity and respect.
