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Belarusian rights defenders send urgent complaints to UN special rapporteur on torture regarding Statkevich, Dashkevich

Belarusian human rights defenders have sent urgent complaints to the UN special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez, asking him to take action on reports of the inhumane treatment of Mikalay Statkevich and Zmitser Dashkevich who are widely believed to be political prisoners.

“It is possible to send an urgent complaint to the US special rapporteur without having exhausted all domestic remedies,” Darya Korsak, a rights activist, told BelaPAN. “If the rapporteur finds it necessary, he can now transmit an urgent appeal to the foreign ministry of Belarus, urging the government to ensure the physical and mental integrity of the prisoners.”

The complaints say that the authorities created inhumane imprisonment conditions for Messrs. Statkevich and Dashkevich after they refused to apply to Alyaksandr Lukashenka for a presidential pardon. // BelaPAN