A new UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Belarus has been appointed by the Human Rights Council. The role has been taken on by Nils Muižnieks, a human rights expert with 25 years of experience. He previously served as Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe and headed the European regional office of Amnesty International. Anaïs Marin, who held the position of Special Rapporteur since 2018, has now been succeeded by Muižnieks.
Earlier, we analysed the applications of candidates for the position of Special Rapporteur. Here’s extract of the application of Mr. Muižnieks:
"I have than 25 years of experience in human rights, including roles as the European Regional Director for Amnesty International, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, co-rapporteur on UNHRC resolution 38/18, member and chair of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance, and director of a human rights NGO from 1994 to 2002. I publish extensively, English is one of my native languages, and I am proficient in French and Russian. ... I have collaborated with Belarusian human rights defenders as a commissioner and president of the Council of Europe's Association of Schools of Political Studies. ... I am highly motivated to take on this mandate because I am firmly convinced of the need to contribute to improving the human rights situation in Belarus, a country neighbouring my own, Latvia. It has always seemed anomalous to me that Belarus is isolated from its Western neighbours and unable/unwilling to take advantage of the opportunities inherent in fuller cooperation with European and international institutions. ... My vision for the mandate involves intensive work with a full range of stakeholders, including the Belarusian authorities, neighbouring states, the UN Human Rights Council, and other UN divisions, civil society organisations, and other international organisations Belarus is a party to (e.g., OSCE). I will do everything possible to engage in constructive dialogue with the authorities while remaining principled and candid on emerging human rights issues".