Estonia Hosts Virtual UNSC Meeting on Human Rights in Belarus on Friday

HELSINKI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th October, 2021) The UN Security Council will gather for an informal virtual meeting on Friday to discuss the human rights situation in Belarus, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"On Friday 8 October, a high-level informal virtual meeting is held at the UN Security Council on Estonia's initiative to draw attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus and the actions of Belarusian authorities that violate international law, such as the forced landing of a civilian airplane," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The meeting will be chaired by Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets from a studio in Tallinn, where she will be joined by her Latvian counterpart, Edgars Rinkevics, and Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Mantas Adomenas.

"Estonia called the meeting and it has a record number of co-sponsors - 32 countries, including several members of the UN Security Council and other UN members from Europe and beyond," the statement read.

Relations between Western countries and Belarus became strained following the August 2020 election that saw incumbent Alexander Lukashenko secure his sixth term in office. With the Belarusian opposition claiming electoral fraud, the country plunged into a political crisis accompanied by mass protests. Several Western countries have slapped sanctions on Belarusian officials over alleged electoral fraud and protest suppression.

The tensions took a new turn following the arrest of Belarusian opposition journalist Roman Protasevich on May 23 and the deteriorating situation on the border with the Baltic states over undocumented migrants' influx.