Right to defence in Belarus: A gender perspective

In response to the call for inputs on human rights in Belarus for the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus to the United Nations General Assembly, human rights organizations Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, World Organisation Against Torture, and ARTICLE 19 have prepared a submission on the situation with the rights of women lawyers, human rights defenders and representatives of the legal profession in Belarus.

The submission analyzes the gender aspects of the right to defense; highlights the intersecting forms of discrimination to which victims are subjected both on the grounds of their sex and their professional activity; considers individual cases of political persecution of women lawyers, human rights defenders and representatives of the legal profession; assesses how Belarusian laws and their application affect women’s rights. The submission’s authors have also formulated several recommendations to Belarusian government, professional communities, and foreign states, calling to ensure respect for the rights of women lawyers, human rights defenders and representatives of the legal profession in Belarus.

The report may be accessed here.