Andrey Yurov
The international community should understand that Belarus is not willing to meet its international human rights commitments. Despite the difficult conditions Viasna is facing and the possible confiscation of the venue they use as an office, I have no doubts they will continue their excellent work.
Andrey Yurov is a Russian human rights defender and Head of the International Observation Mission and member of the Supervisory Board of the Committee on International Control over the Situation with Human Rights in Belarus.
After the wave of violence that followed the presidential election of December 2010, the human rights situation in Belarus deteriorated rapidly and remains poor after the crackdown. Human rights defenders (HRDs) are subjected to intimidation and harassment, including judicial harassment, restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, movement, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment.
