A woman wearing a protective face mask in the colors of historical white-red-white flag of Belarus attends a rally of solidarity with Belarusian opposition movement in Kyiv, Ukraine on 30 May 2021. (Photo by STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
IMS submits input to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus to the UN General Assembly
Access Now, ARTICLE 19, Human Constanta and IMS welcome the opportunity to make the submission and contribute to the report on the situation of human rights in Belarus to be presented before the UN General Assembly.
This submission builds upon the previous submissions to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. This submission specifically focuses on internet shutdowns, Domain Name Server (DNS) spoofing, the use of facial recognition and anti-extremism laws, which continue to occur in the context of larger government efforts to stifle freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in Belarus. The continued issue of online gender-based violence (GBV) and anti-extremism laws disproportionately affect women is also covered.
“Belarus has always been a notoriously dangerous country for exercising digital rights – here, Belarus can only compete with Russia or China. This crackdown has reached new, unprecedented heights in the wake of the stolen election in August 2020. From blocking critical content to monitoring how citizens use the internet, the strategy is to spy, demobilise, restrict, disconnect – all to muzzle critical voices,” says IMS Global Response Head of Department Gulnara Akhundova.
