«The institutions of the European Union, positioning themselves as the foremost advocates of human rights on the international stage, deliberately ignore the existence of deep systemic flaws in the human rights sector within the union itself. First and foremost, the EU’s foundational policy document in this area is far from ideal. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is of a general declaratory nature and contains a number of systemic shortcomings. It guarantees different scopes of rights for EU citizens and citizens of third countries, such as Russia and Belarus, who are lawfully present on EU territory (in the sector of political and electoral rights, the right to freedom of movement and residence),» the joint report reads.
In particular, the EU Charter does not contain punitive sanctions or any indication of the need for such sanctions in cases of violations, for example, for ethnic discrimination, which includes the openly displayed Russophobia by EU institutions, or for the inaction of authorities in response to such acts.
«Furthermore, the document allows for vague wording regarding potential limitations on the rights and freedoms enshrined in it, which, under the pretext of upholding the principle of ‘expediency and proportionality’, a principle that has yet to receive an exhaustive definition in EU law, creates broad scope for various deviations by European capitals,» the joint report by Belarus and Russia says.
As a result, EU institutions are able to justify their inaction and complicity in manifestations of Russophobia across the EU, ignore the de facto division of residents into first- and second-class citizens in the Baltic states, including the problems of statelessness (so-called non-citizenship) and the deprivation of the Russian-speaking population of the right to education in their native language.
The third joint report by the ministries of foreign affairs of Belarus and Russia reveals large-scale and systemic problems in the human rights sector in certain Western states and brings necessary balance to the consideration of human rights issues at the international level. The report is based on various sources, including assessments from relevant UN special mandates, and contains illustrative material supported by images and links to video footage, demonstrating gross violations of fundamental rights and freedoms in Western countries, including the suppression of dissent, censorship, persecution of journalists, discrimination, and the use of violence by law enforcement during peaceful protests.
Special attention is paid to problems in migration policy and social protection, the distortion of historical memory, and the promotion of theories of racial superiority. The report aims to draw the attention of the international community to structural human rights problems in Western countries and is an important component of an objective analysis of the human rights situation in the world. The International Bill of Human Rights enshrines the principles of the universality, indivisibility, interconnectedness, interdependence, and binding nature of human rights.
In this context, the report presents compelling arguments for the need to take internal measures to eradicate systemic violations of citizens’ rights, so that Western countries can live up to the image of an exemplary model of democracy that they themselves promote. The cases presented in the report serve as evidence that the Western human rights model is currently unable to bear this burden.
Belarus continues to advocate for the depoliticization of the human rights agenda and for strict compliance with universal human rights by all states, without the use of double standards.
