35 OSCE Countries Demand Answers From Belarus On 'Serious' Rights Violations
udf.byDozens of member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have invoked the so-called Vienna Mechanism to request answers from Belarus on “serious human rights violations and abuses” taking place in the country following a disputed presidential election in August 2020. In a letter dated November 4 and sent to the Belarusian permanent representative to the OSCE in Vienna, the United States, Canada, all EU member states except Poland, and seven other European countries said the situation in Belarus has “deteriorated” over the past year.
The 35 countries asked Minsk to provide answers on the use of “excessive force” against peaceful protesters, “arbitrary or unjust” arrests or detention, and “more than 1,500.