UN Experts: Belarus Releases Mask Forced Exile of Prisoners

“Forced expulsion and arbitrary deportation constitute a clear violation of international human rights standards,” the experts said.

The UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus has welcomed the release of political prisoners over the past year but warned in a new report that many of those freed were forcibly expelled from the country — a move it says constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.

While acknowledging that releasing detainees held on politically motivated charges is a positive development, the Group stressed that conditioning freedom on expulsion or deportation undermines fundamental rights and legal protections.

“Forced expulsion and arbitrary deportation constitute a clear violation of international human rights standards,” the experts said.

Call for Immediate, Unconditional Releases

The Group urged Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all individuals detained on politically motivated grounds.

“We urge the Government of Belarus to abide by its human rights obligations and immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners detained for politically-motivated reasons,” said Karinna Moskalenko, Chair of the Group of Independent Experts.

She added that the international community must strengthen protections for Belarusians both inside the country and in exile, and initiate proceedings against those responsible for serious abuses.

Despite recent releases, repression remains widespread. At least 1,131 people are reportedly still imprisoned on politically motivated charges.

Systematic Repression and Deaths in Detention

The report documents what it describes as an ongoing, State-orchestrated strategy to silence dissent through arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, ill-treatment, and inhuman prison conditions.

Particularly alarming is the death of at least eight individuals in detention since May 2020. According to the experts, some of these deaths may have been preventable had detainees received adequate medical care and not been subjected to harsh conditions of confinement.

The Group highlighted patterns of abuse affecting vulnerable groups.

“Women in detention have been denied gender-specific healthcare and subjected to environmental hardships, including exposure to extreme cold, which has had a detrimental impact on their health,” said expert member Susan Bazilli.

The report also documents repression targeting the LGBTQI community, underscoring what the experts describe as the discriminatory character of the State’s punitive measures.

Repression Extends Beyond Borders

The experts warned that Belarusians who flee the country are not necessarily safe abroad.

The report details how authorities have allegedly weaponised administrative procedures to target citizens in exile, including stripping them of legal status, confiscating or invalidating identity documents, and creating legal insecurity outside Belarus.

“This strategy was evident in the release of some prisoners in 2025,” said expert member Monika Platek. “Authorities utilized forced expulsions of Belarusian citizens, the arbitrary deprivation of identity documents, and the arbitrary deportation of foreign nationals as conditions of release.”

The Group said such practices amount to transnational repression and further entrench human rights violations beyond Belarusian borders.

Impunity and International Accountability

Citing what it described as a total lack of accountability within Belarus’s domestic legal system, the report warns that a culture of impunity allows violations to persist unchecked.

In the absence of domestic remedies, the experts called on the international community to:

• Ensure robust international refugee protection for Belarusians in exile.

• Actively initiate legal proceedings against alleged perpetrators under universal and extraterritorial jurisdiction.

• Support accountability mechanisms to ensure those responsible for systematic violations are ultimately brought to justice.

The findings underscore growing international concern over the continued crackdown on dissent in Belarus, nearly five years after the mass protests that followed the 2020 presidential election.