A/HRC/4/16 page 2 Summary The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus was established by Commission on Human Rights resolution 2004/14 and extended by resolution 2005/13. In its decision 1/102 of 30 June 2006 the Human Rights Council requested the special procedures to continue with the implementation of their mandates. Among other things the Commission requested the Special Rapporteur to establish direct contacts with the Government and with the people of Belarus, with a view to examining the situation of human rights in Belarus. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of Belarus, in 2006 as in 2004 and 2005, has not responded favourably to his request to visit the country and has in general not cooperated with him in the fulfilment of his mandate. Therefore, the report is based on the Special Rapporteur’s mission to the Russian Federation in early 2006 as well as discussions and consultations held in Geneva, Strasbourg and Brussels with representatives of permanent missions and non-governmental organizations, the United Nations and specialized agencies, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Council of Europe. It is also based on media reports and various documentary sources. It covers the period from September to December 2006 and makes reference to the Special Rapporteur’s oral presentation to the Human Rights Council which covered the period from January to August 2006. In section IV, the Special Rapporteur describes the situation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights in Belarus, which has steadily deteriorated in 2006. In the last section, the Special Rapporteur addresses a number of issues which along the years have been the subject of allegations formulated not only by Belarus but also by several members of the Commission on Human Rights and later by members of the Human Rights Council, in particular the political motivation of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate and of his assessments. The conclusions and recommendations contained in the Special Rapporteur’s last report (E/CN.4/2006/36) continue to be valid and should be considered an integral part of the present report. The Special Rapporteur firmly believes that the first responsibility for improving the dramatic situation of human rights in Belarus lies with the country’s authorities. Therefore, while bearing in mind that all the recommendations addressed to the Belarusian authorities in his 2006 report were ignored, the Special Rapporteur stresses that they remain valid and must be reiterated even if there is no indication that this time they might be accepted and enhanced. Among other things, the Special Rapporteur calls once again on the international community to support civil society and democratic forces in Belarus; asks the Human Rights Council to request the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to immediately establish a group of legal experts to investigate the disappearance and murders of several politicians and journalists and to join the efforts of other international organizations to organize an international conference on the situation of human rights in Belarus; and calls for the establishment of an international fund for the promotion of human rights in Belarus. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his recommendation to the Human Rights Council to extend the Belarus mandate not only in time, but also in scope and means, and calls for enhanced cooperation between regional organizations and the United Nations, and in particular between the Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.