In a statement delivered by Belarussian activist Olga Karatch, Liberal International and Belarusian civil society organisation Nash Dom addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council with a plea to alleviate the suffering of women prisoners in Belarus.
This is the second time LI has engaged with UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, Anaïs Marin. In December, Astrid Thors of LI’s Human Rights Committee moderated a discussion on the human rights situations in Belarus and Russia with Karatch and Marin.
As long-standing allies of democracy in the region, we will continue to support and elevate the voices of liberals in Eastern Europe who demand our support now more than ever.
Transcript:
Liberal International Statement on Women Prisoners in Belarus
Liberal International and Nash Dom welcome the statements of Madam Special Rapporteur on Belarus, Anais Marin. We commend her work defending the welfare of Belarusian women.
Following the 2020 elections, 346 women remain involved in criminal proceedings. The plight of women prisoners in Lukashenka’s Belarus demands greater attention. Female prisoners are regularly exploited, abused, and deported.
Women in Belarusian prisons are forced into unpaid and underpaid labour; when they are paid, after essential costs, they often have less than 10 euros remaining for the month.
Detained women endure physical and psychological torture and threats of sexual violence. Women with mental disabilities are especially vulnerable.
Women are not provided with basic hygiene and menstrual products and are deprived of medication. They have been blocked from obtaining sanitary pads and of the opportunity to shower.
Some are falsely admitted to psychiatric hospitals where they are forcibly medicated.
Finally, several foreign women were expelled from the country after protesting, losing their homes in the process. There is evidence that female prisoners of the Polish ethnic minority have been forcibly deported across the Polish border.
We implore Madam Special Rapporteur to continue championing the welfare of the courageous women activists of Belarus and to shed greater light on the conditions of its captured women.
Watch the previous webinar with Olga Karatch: https://liberal-international.org/news-articles/europes-last-dictator-wobbles-what-next-for-belarus/
