UN Special Rapporteur Signals Upcoming Regime Change In Belarus

Nils Muižnieks gave an optimistic forecast.

In October 2024, Nils Muižnieks was appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. During this time, he managed to meet with Belarusian human rights activists and former political prisoners.

He sent several requests to the authorities, including a request to visit Minsk. On January 23, 2025, Muižnieks gave his first press conference in his new role, Deutsche Welle reports.

The Belarusian authorities do not recognize the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur. Despite this, Nils Muižnieks and his predecessors in this position constantly sent requests to Minsk, including with a request to visit the country. "Only one of my predecessors was allowed to do this: in 2017, he arrived in the Republic of Belarus on an academic visit, where he also met with human rights activists. After that, none of the special rapporteurs were allowed into the country."

In his request, Muižnieks indicated that if he is allowed to come to Belarus, he intends to meet with political prisoners, including those who are incommunicado. "Otherwise, my visit is pointless," the UN Special Rapporteur believes. "And I have had experience of such meetings in the past. I do not have great hopes for the Belarusian authorities. But I do not rule out that they may think: let him come and see with his own eyes what is happening here. So let's wait for an answer."

In addition, a letter was sent to the Belarusian authorities with questions and criticism of holding trials in absentia, when the accused do not have access to defence lawyers or even information about the essence of the criminal case, and equality of the parties is not ensured during the trial.

Despite the difficult situation in Belarus, Nils Muižnieks is generally optimistic and believes that a window for change may open in the next 3-6 years. "The war in Ukraine will end one way or another, and this will have an impact on Belarus," the special rapporteur believes. "Lukashenka has been in power for 30 years, he is no longer that young, and he is not Mugabe, he will not rule until he is 93. So in the coming years, we can expect a change of power."

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com