Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
854. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Ireland will utilise its position on the UN Security Council to demand the immediate release of a person (details supplied) and for an end to the persecution of and release of opposition political activists in Belarus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40433/21]
View answerIreland has been vocal in strongly condemning the unjust detention of political prisoners in Belarus. We are committed to keeping the situation in the country high on the international agenda and that is what I told Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya during her recent visit. The number of those detained simply for holding or expressing views that the Lukashenko regime do not like continues to rise and there are now over 560 political prisoners.
Many of those unjustly detained, such as the person referenced by the Deputy, have received lengthy sentences. I know many members of the Oireachtas have 'adopted' political prisoners and I commend them for maintaining awareness of their plight. Ireland has repeatedly expressed concern for the treatment of those detained following numerous reports of torture and the spread of Covid-19 in Belarusian detention facilities.
Ireland has been strongly critical of the impunity Belarusian security forces continue to enjoy in their persecution of political activists, human rights defenders and journalists. There has been no meaningful attempt by the Belarusian authorities to investigate the thousands of reported human rights violations and so Ireland continues to do what we can to bring international accountability.
Ireland played a constructive role at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, where a successful EU-led resolution granted an investigative mandate to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to examine human rights violations. In recent weeks, along with our EU partners, we also secured a mandate renewal for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
Belarus does not feature as an agenda item at the UN Security Council. However, I and Minister of State Byrne have both participated in meetings of UN Security Council members to put pressure on the Lukashenko regime to adhere to their international obligations and commitments. Ireland has repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of all those unjustly detained in international settings, including at the UN, and that is what we will continue to do.
