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Statement delivered by the Republic of Lithuania on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic States at the UN General Assembly 81st session 3rd Committee Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Belarus Mr. Nils Muižnieks on Monday, 26 October 2026.

Mr. Chair,

I speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic states.

We thank the Special Rapporteur for his report bringing attention to women’s rights and gender equality.

We remain deeply troubled by the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus – the systematic eradication of civil society, politically motivated sentences, degrading conditions of detention and the systematic use of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence.

Independent media and civil society have been dismantled, while transnational repression increasingly targets Belarusians living abroad. Authorities deliberately maintain a cycle of releases and arrests, treating people as bargaining chips. The release of political prisoners must be unconditional and must not be accompanied by coercion, forced exile, or further punishment.

Belarus actively supports Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, increasingly generates hybrid threats against its neighbors, including instrumentalization of migrants, and is complicit in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. We reiterate our call on Belarus to end its involvement in the war and to stop this complicity.

We note with concern that Belarusian authorities are abusing the so called “extremism” legislation and instrumentalizing the country's criminal justice system to silence political opponents. The activity of independent trade unions has been targeted under this framework, and the same logic is now directed against human rights defenders, organizations and educational institutions.

Women human rights defenders, journalists and political activists face risks of repression. Gender-discrimination in the labour market remains widespread. Workplace sexual harassment is not criminalised, women remain concentrated in lower-paid sectors and discrimination is persistent in recruitment. In political and public life women are specifically targeted for repression, including arbitrary detention, criminal prosecution and State-supported smear campaigns, including transnational repression.

Mr. Special Rapporteur,

What concrete measures can the international community take to protect Belarusians in exile, particularly women, from transnational repression, and to strengthen international cooperation in documenting violations and ensuring accountability?

Thank you.