Ex-prisoner questions easing Belarus sanctions as repression persists

An ex-political prisoner from Belarus on Monday raised doubts about easing sanctions on the Eastern European country in return for releasing political prisoners as long as repression — and new arrests — continue.

Katsiaryna Andreyeva, a journalist, was one of a large batch of 250 political prisoners freed in March as part of a bargaining process with the U.S. as President Alexander Lukashenko seeks a normalisation of ties in exchange for easing repression.

Those talks represent a sharp departure from previous Western policy that has treated him as a pariah for both his human rights record and backing of Moscow's war with Ukraine.

"Easing sanctions on Lukashenko's regime without significant change in the situation with human rights might not be appropriate now, and I think that there must be a significant change in the situation," Andreyeva told Reuters in Geneva on the sidelines of a meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

"I'm in favour of the release of political prisoners, but just not replacing one prisoner (with) another," she added.

Andreyeva, who was sentenced to eight years in prison after reporting on mass protests in Minsk in 2020, called for an end to new arrests and for reforms to penal code provisions that allow reporters to be charged with treason or organising protests — accusations she denies.

She described harsh conditions during more than five years in detention, including over a week in solitary confinement, and said her husband, Ihar Ilyash, has spent more than 50 days there.

Ilyash, also a journalist, remains in detention along with more than 950 other political prisoners, according to a report by U.N. Special Rapporteur Nils Muiznieks presented to the Geneva council.

"Belarus continues to systematically and grossly violate its international human rights obligations through ongoing politically motivated repression ...," the report said.

Belarus did not send an envoy to the U.N. debate on Monday to defend its record. 

Many other countries condemned Belarusian violations and Dutch Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.N. in Geneva Lars Tummers called the treatment of political prisoners a "revolving door pattern of repression".

Muiznieks said he continues to receive regular reports about new politically motivated arrests and voiced "serious concern" about detention conditions.

Many political prisoners were arrested during the wave of protests against Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994.

Last week, Belarusian journalist Kyril Pazniak was sentenced to more than three years in prison, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"I'm deeply concerned about their future," Andreyeva said.