Key facts
- Former political prisoner Katsiaryna Andreyeva expressed concerns about easing sanctions on Belarus.
- Andreyeva stated that significant human rights improvements are a prerequisite for sanctions relief.
- She called for an end to new arrests and reforms to Belarus's penal code.
- A UN report details ongoing politically motivated repression and human rights violations in Belarus.
- Over 950 political prisoners remain detained in Belarus, according to a UN report.
Katsiaryna Andreyeva, a Belarusian journalist and former political prisoner, has questioned the appropriateness of easing international sanctions on Belarus while repression continues. Speaking at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Andreyeva stated that significant improvements in the human rights situation are necessary before sanctions relief should be considered.
Andreyeva, who was released in March as part of a group of 250 political prisoners, was sentenced to eight years for reporting on protests. She described harsh conditions during her more than five years in detention, including extended periods in solitary confinement for herself and her husband, Ihar Ilyash. Ilyash remains in detention along with over 950 other political prisoners, according to a UN report.
The UN Special Rapporteur's report, to be presented to the council, details Belarus's ongoing "systematic and gross" violations of international human rights obligations through politically motivated repression. The report also expresses serious concern over detention conditions and continues to receive reports of new politically motivated arrests.
Andreyeva advocates for the release of all political prisoners but stressed that this should not be a precursor to new arrests. She called for reforms to penal code provisions that allow journalists to be charged with treason or organizing protests, accusations she denies. Last week, another Belarusian journalist, Kyril Pazniak, was sentenced to over three years in prison.