Western nations decried arbitrary arrests and other forms of repression in Belarus during a review of its record at the U.N.’s top human rights body on Monday, with the U.S. ambassador calling on authorities there to halt a “brutal crackdown.” The comments on Belarus came during a process known as the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, in which every country in the world has its rights record scrutinized every four or five years. The review happened to fall a day after thousands of protesters in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, swarmed the streets to demand the resignation of longtime President Alexander Lukashenko — the 13th straight Sunday marked by demonstrations against his rule.
Western nations decried arbitrary arrests and other forms of repression in Belarus during a review of its record at the U.N.’s top human rights body on Monday, with the U.S. ambassador calling on authorities there to halt a “brutal crackdown.” The comments on Belarus came during a process known as the Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council, in which every country in the world has its rights record scrutinized every four or five years. The review happened to fall a day after thousands of protesters in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, swarmed the streets to demand the resignation of longtime President Alexander Lukashenko — the 13th straight Sunday marked by demonstrations against his rule.