Pavel Levinov
Pavel Levinov is a a board member of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, one of the oldest human rights organizations in Belarus, which was created to promote human rights as an essential part of the political and economic development of Belarus. Pavel Levinov provides free legal assistance to citizens in the Vitebsk region. He also specialises in drafting and submitting complaints to the UN Human Rights Committee on behalf of Belarusian citizens faced with violations of their civil, political, social, and cultural rights.
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. In the lead up to the 2015 presidential elections, 6 political prisoners, including President Lukashenko's main rival, were pardoned.
