Belarus: Rights Crisis Requires Sustained UN Scrutiny as Expert Mandates Come Up for Renewal

Last updated: 22 September 2026

The United Nations Human Rights Council should renew the mandates of the Group of Independent Experts on the Situation in Belarus and the Special Rapporteur on Belarus, Human Rights Watch said on March 24, 2026. Despite a wave of pardons in March, the rights crisis in Belarus remains severe, with at least 860 people still behind bars for peacefully exercising their fundamental freedoms, and ongoing documentation of torture, forced exile, and transnational repression.

The Scope of the Crisis

A report presented by the UN's independent expert group during the current council session paints a stark picture: continuing patterns of arbitrary detention, inhumane conditions, torture and death in detention, and newly verified patterns of forced exile and forced pardon requests. The group has concluded that some of these violations amount to crimes against humanity.

Civil society organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have extensively documented Belarus' crackdown on independent voices since the fraudulent 2020 presidential election. Human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians, protesters, and activists have been systematically prosecuted. Former political prisoners, including some recently released, are being forced into exile as a condition of their freedom. Human rights organisations are unable to operate legally inside the country.

The Pardons in Context

In March 2026, Belarus released nearly 250 political prisoners, including six journalists, as part of a diplomatic deal with the United States involving easing of sanctions. While welcomed by press freedom organisations, HRW warns that the pardons must not be used by Belarus to reduce international scrutiny of its human rights record. The pardons were granted not as a recognition of innocence but as a political gesture — the underlying convictions were not overturned, and hundreds of others remain imprisoned.

By maintaining both the accountability-focused mechanism and the expert monitor, the Council ensures that the systematic nature and gravity of Belarus' rights violations receive in-depth scrutiny. The Council should send an unequivocal message that the UN remains vigilant and committed to supporting those seeking justice.

Human Rights Watch, March 24, 2026

The ICC and Future Accountability

The International Criminal Court's decision to open an investigation into alleged crimes committed by Belarusian authorities — at least in part on the territory of Lithuania, an ICC member state — underlines the ongoing importance of the independent expert group's evidence-preservation work. HRW argues that the expert mechanisms and special rapporteur are essential infrastructure for future accountability, preserving evidence and identifying those responsible for grave violations.

The organisation is urging all UN Human Rights Council member states to vote in favour of renewing both mandates and to ensure the mechanisms have sufficient resources to continue their independent investigations.

Source: Human Rights Watch — Belarus Rights Crisis Requires Sustained Scrutiny