A/HRC/35/40 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 21 April 2017 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-fifth session 6-23 June 2017 Agenda item 4 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus Note by the Secretariat The Secretariat has the honour to transmit to the Human Rights Council the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. In his report, the Special Rapporteur describes the return of the Government of Belarus to the policy of large-scale repression against citizens who exercise or defend their rights. The suppression of peaceful social protests in March 2017 ended a brief period of reticence to recourse to violence and deprivation of freedom. Throughout the reporting period, the entrenched oppressive laws, which in the last decades have crystallized into a systemic denial of the enjoyment of civil freedoms, remained in force. The parliamentary elections of September 2016 remained highly controlled and the ensuing parliament continued to be devoid of pluralism despite the fact that, after 20 years, two opposition candidates were allowed to enter parliament. Recourse to the death penalty increased, with more executions than in previous years. Given the overall tightening of the already strict control of public life exercised by the authorities and the steep deterioration in their handling of assembly, association and media rights, the Special Rapporteur deems it necessary for the international community to remain vigilant over the situation of human rights in Belarus. GE.17-06439(E) 