A/HRC/RES/20/13 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 16 July 2012 Original: English Human Rights Council Twentieth session Agenda item 4 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council  20/13. Situation of human rights in Belarus The Human Rights Council, Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other applicable human rights instruments, Recalling Human Rights Council resolution 17/24 of 17 June 2011, and deploring the lack of cooperation by the Government of Belarus with the requests of the Council made in that resolution, including the denial of access to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and several thematic special procedures mandate holders to the country, Welcoming the oral and comprehensive written1 reports of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Belarus, presented to the Council at its eighteenth and twentieth sessions respectively, and regretting the lack of implementation by the Government of Belarus of the preliminary recommendations made in the oral report, 1. Expresses grave concern at the findings of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in her report1 that suggest the existence of a pattern of serious violations of human rights since 19 December 2010, that is of a systemic nature, and includes intensified restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of association, assembly, opinion and expression, including with regard to the media, as well as allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody, impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses, harassment of civil society organizations and human rights defenders, violations of due process and fair trial safeguards, and pressure on defence lawyers; 2. Urges the Government of Belarus to immediately and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all political prisoners, to address, through comprehensive, transparent and  1 GE.12-15360 The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of the Council on its twentieth session (A/HRC/20/2), chap. I. A/HRC/20/8.