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Russia criticizes UNHRC resolution on Belarus as politicized

"A futile method of accusations and pressure on a sovereign state" has been preferred to cooperation on the human rights topics, Alexei Goltyayev, a member of the Russian delegation, said

GENEVA, July 1. /TASS/. Russia has criticized the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Belarus adopted at its 32nd session as having a politicized character and attempting to interfere into electoral processes in a sovereign state.

"Russia does not recognize the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, neither does it recognize the resolution which was the ground to establish it," Alexei Goltyayev, a member of the Russian delegation, said at the UNHRC session on Friday.

Moscow, in his words, believes that human rights problems are to be discussed "exclusively on the basis of equality and mutual respect." But in case of Belarus, "a futile method of accusations and pressure on a sovereign state" has been preferred to cooperation on the human rights topics, he noted.

"We believe that the politically motivated resolution and mandate on Belarus are discrediting the Human Right Council," the Russian diplomat stressed. "The existence of an individual biased special procedure which is not supported by Minsk cannot yield positive results and, as a matter of fact, it is a mere waste of resources" both the Human Rights Council and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) badly need in conditions of the budget shortage," he added.

The anti-Belarusian draft resolution won support of only 15 out of 47 delegations to the Human Rights Council session. Among those who voted in favor of the draft were countries of the European Union, Albania, Macedonia, Switzerland and South Korea. Nine countries, including Russia, China, India, Cuba, Venezuela and Vietnam, voted against, and 23 countries, including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, abstained.

The resolution extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus for a term of one year. It calls on Minsk to reform its election laws, the judicial sector and the bar association. The initiators of the resolution voiced concern over non-participation of opposition political parties in the work of parliament.

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Belarus United Nations

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