Accountability is not only the restoration of justice, but also the path toward a free and democratic Belarus

Artsiom Brukhan and Pavel Latushka. Photo: NAM Media

Theses of the speech by Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus and Member of the Coordination Council, at the Council of Europe Conference “Embedding European Non-discrimination Principles in the Policies and Practices of Belarusian Democratic Forces and Civil Society”

8 April 2026

Dear Mr. Director, Dear Mr. Speaker, Dear Representative of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Dear colleagues,

It is an honor to address you on behalf of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, as a member of the Coordination Council of Belarus and a member of the delegation of the Coordination Council to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Thank you for your solidarity and your firm stance with all of us who continue to defend human dignity and fundamental rights under the most difficult circumstances.

For decades, the people of Belarus have lived in a system where equality is systematically denied, discrimination is institutionalized, and repression based on discriminatory grounds is used as a tool of governance. Independent voices are being silenced, civil society is being persecuted, and entire communities have been subject to a State-sponsored campaign of discrimination.

Arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, judicial harassment, unlawful imprisonment and other repressive measures based solely on real or perceived political beliefs have become part of a sustained, violent and widespread campaign of repression that continues until today, and that has forced so many of us to flee Belarus.

As recently concluded by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court when announcing its decision to open a full investigation into the Situation in Lithuania/Belarus, the coercive environment allegedly created by the Belarusian authorities has resulted in the crimes against humanity of deportation and persecution (through deportation) of hundreds of thousands of Belarusians. Yet, even those in exile are consistently targeted by the Belarusian authorities through in absentia prosecution, searches and raids of their property, threats, intimidation and publicly disseminated hate speech. Only a few days ago, the Belarusian authorities designated the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, a leading human rights organization in exile working inter alia on anti-discrimination, as an “extremist formation” – only one of many cynical examples illustrating the scale of the escalating repressions.

In today’s Belarus, discrimination targets not only real and perceived political opponents of Aliaksandr Lukashenko and his regime: it also targets women, ethnic and national minorities, religious groups, as well as the LGBTQ+ community. While disguising discrimination as so-called “Slavic” or “traditional” values, the Belarusian authorities continue to blatantly and persistently disregard its international obligations to ensure equality.

Yet, with the support of our partners, we have a chance to do better than this: with your support, I believe that we can build a democratic Belarus where legislation, public policies and institutions fully share European human rights standards, ensuring equality and protection for all 

The first breaks of this foundation have been already laid: The Belarusian democratic forces, including the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, and the Coordination Council, have endorsed a joint declaration that enshrines the principles of equality and non-discrimination as a foundation for future reforms and as guiding standards for their current work. This declaration is our shared vision and a unified commitment to building a new democratic Belarus.

Moreover, we, as part of the European family, are actively adopting European values and approaches. We are thankful that representatives of the democratic forces had a chance to undergo training within the Council of Europe to learn from the best practices of its Member States, and to translate them into our day-to-day activities. 

These are the first bricks of the society we are building, a society and institutions grounded in dignity, equality, inclusion and the rule of law.

Accountability still remains at the core of our activities and commitment to non-discrimination. We do believe that without justice, there can be no genuine change, and without accountability, discrimination will continue to reproduce itself in new forms.

I would like to reaffirm that we do everything possible to ensure that those responsible for politically motivated persecution, systemic discrimination, and other acts that amount to crimes against humanity will be held to account through fair and transparent international and national mechanisms. This is not only about addressing past violations - it is about restoring justice and trust, and ensuring a new path for a free,democratic and just Belarus.

Thank you, and I look forward to the important and enriching discussions today.

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