Belarusian state institutions have worked together to suppress critics of President Alexander Lukashenko’s government through almost every stage of the justice system since 2020, according to independent U.N. experts.
A report prepared for the U.N. Human Rights Council says courts, police, security services, prosecutors and prison authorities have operated in a coordinated manner to target people considered opponents or critics of the government.
The findings come six years after mass protests erupted following Belarus’ August 2020 presidential election. The opposition and Western governments said the election was fraudulent, while Lukashenko rejected those claims. A subsequent crackdown resulted in thousands of arrests, while rights groups have continued to document political prisoners in the country.
A system of repression
The U.N. experts said they identified systematic violations of international human rights obligations from the moment of arrest through detention, trial, conviction and post release supervision.
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Their findings include arbitrary arrests, alleged torture, denial of legal safeguards, closed trials and continued harassment of people after their release.
The experts said the judiciary has played a particularly important role by providing legal legitimacy to abuses and preventing victims from obtaining effective remedies.
They also said the patterns of violations identified in the report remain ongoing.
Belarus has not cooperated with the experts, according to the report. Requests by the panel to visit the country and engage with its authorities went unanswered.
Allegations of crimes against humanity
The experts said Belarus had violated obligations under several international treaties. They also reiterated earlier findings that some abuses committed since May 2020 could amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution and imprisonment.
The report was prepared by the U.N. Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus, a three member panel whose members serve in their personal capacities rather than as representatives of governments or the U.N. Secretariat.
Belarus has previously rejected U.N. criticism of its human rights record.
Lukashenko has also denied that Belarus holds political prisoners, describing those detained as criminals or “bandits.” He has rejected allegations of electoral fraud and maintained that the authorities acted lawfully to restore order.
Political prisoners remain a concern
The findings also come amid limited signs of diplomatic engagement over detained opposition figures.
Earlier this month, former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski said that recent prisoner releases secured through U.S. engagement with Minsk had not ended political repression. He argued that new political prisoners were still emerging despite the releases.
This suggests that prisoner releases alone may not represent a fundamental shift in Belarus’ approach toward political dissent.
Implications and analysis
The U.N. findings point to a broader problem than individual cases of unlawful detention or abuse. They describe a system in which multiple state institutions can reinforce one another, making it difficult for critics to challenge decisions through normal legal channels.
The judiciary is particularly significant in this structure. When courts are perceived as validating arrests, prosecutions and convictions rather than providing independent oversight, the justice system can become an instrument of political control.
For the Lukashenko government, maintaining this system also reduces the space for organised opposition ahead of any potential political transition. Even when individual prisoners are released through diplomatic negotiations, continued arrests and surveillance can preserve the wider deterrent effect.
The report therefore places renewed attention on whether international engagement with Minsk can produce lasting institutional changes rather than isolated prisoner releases. Without meaningful judicial independence and accountability for abuses, the underlying machinery of repression is likely to remain in place.
With information from Reuters.
