Belarus’ Pledges: Fiction and Fact

General Assembly resolution 60/251 requires that states “take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto” in voting to elect members of the Human Rights Council (HRC). While Belarus has submitted numerous pledges in advance of the upcoming HRC elections, the commitments made by Belarus are flatly contradicted by the findings of the UN itself and other institutions.