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Journalists were also victims and lost their accreditation. Extensive internet shutdowns by the authorities have reportedly restricted Belarusians’ access to important information. The main figures of the political opposition have been arrested, arrested or expelled from the country to silence dissent. Furthermore, the Belarusian authorities had not responded to previous offers from the OSCE Chairmanship to allow a national dialogue between the Lukashenko regime and representatives of the population.
“Moscow Mechanism”
17 states support the mission’s demands. These are Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Canada, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and the United States, as reported by the Reuters news agency, citing the Danish Foreign Ministry.
All 17 states formally invoked the so-called Moscow Mechanism. This allows ten or more participating States to establish a mission of independent experts to investigate a particularly serious human rights threat in a participating State. The expert mission will issue a report with recommendations and advice for the Republic of Belarus, the OSCE and the international community, the OSCE said.
