On the occasion of #HumanRightsDay2025, the Arrested Lawyers Initiative speaks with Nils Muižnieks (@MuizNils), the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (@coe) from 2012 to 2018, and former Amnesty International Regional Director for Europe (@amnesty) from 2020 to 2024.
In an exclusive interview with the Arrested Lawyers Initiative, Nils Muižnieks offers a sobering yet forward-looking assessment of the state of human rights in Belarus, Turkey, and beyond. Drawing on decades of experience—as UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, former Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and former Amnesty International Regional Director for Europe—Muižnieks speaks candidly about institutional failure, authoritarian resilience, and the urgent need to prepare for change.
Belarus: Repression Without Illusions
Muižnieks describes the current human rights situation in Belarus as one of deep and entrenched repression. Following the brutal crackdown after the 2020 elections, the space for independent civil society has been almost entirely dismantled. Lawyers, journalists, and human rights defenders have been systematically targeted, stripped of licenses, detained, or forced into exile.
Yet, despite this bleak reality, Muižnieks cautions against fatalism. “Nothing is permanent,” he stresses. Authoritarian systems often appear stable until they are not, and the responsibility of the international community is to remain prepared for moments of sudden change. Documentation, solidarity, and sustained engagement with Belarusian civil society—inside and outside the country—are essential to ensure accountability when political conditions eventually shift.
Supporting Civil Society Under Extreme Repression
One of the central challenges discussed is how international mechanisms can meaningfully support Belarusian civil society when domestic space has been erased. Muižnieks points to several tools: international investigations, universal jurisdiction cases, strategic litigation, and targeted sanctions. He emphasizes that even when immediate impact seems limited, such efforts matter in the long term by preserving evidence and signaling that crimes are neither forgotten nor forgiven.
For lawyers and human rights defenders, the risks are especially acute. Belarusian lawyers face disbarment, prosecution, and imprisonment simply for performing their professional duties. This deliberate destruction of the legal profession, Muižnieks notes, is not accidental—it is a core element of authoritarian governance.
Belarus and Turkey: Different Contexts, Similar Tools
When the discussion turns to Turkey, Muižnieks draws striking parallels. While the political systems and international alignments of Belarus and Turkey differ, the “authoritarian toolbox” is remarkably similar. In Turkey, thousands of lawyers have been prosecuted, particularly in the aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt. Anti-terrorism laws have been weaponized to criminalize legal defense, dissent, and association.
The pattern is familiar: prosecutors act as political instruments, courts lose independence, and lawyers become targets rather than safeguards of justice. According to Muižnieks, this is not merely a domestic issue—it is a direct challenge to the international human rights system.
The Council of Europe’s Failure on Turkey
Muižnieks is particularly critical of the Council of Europe’s long-standing failure to respond effectively to Turkey’s systemic violations. Despite thousands of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), including clear findings of politically motivated prosecutions and unlawful detention, Turkish authorities have routinely ignored binding rulings.
The problem, he argues, lies not only with Turkey but with the Council of Europe itself. The Committee of Ministers failed to act decisively for years, and the Secretary General never fully used the tools available under the system. The ECtHR, too, was reluctant to acknowledge the broader pattern of repression, often treating cases as isolated incidents rather than part of a coordinated policy.
This institutional timidity, Muižnieks warns, has had consequences far beyond Turkey—sending a message to other governments that persistent non-compliance may go unpunished.
A Global Pushback Against Human Rights
The interview situates Belarus and Turkey within a wider global trend: a coordinated pushback against human rights norms. International institutions are increasingly under strain, facing budgetary pressure, political attacks, and deliberate obstruction by states determined to avoid scrutiny.
UN human rights mechanisms, including Special Rapporteurs, face growing challenges—restricted access, non-cooperation, and disinformation campaigns aimed at discrediting their work. Yet Muižnieks insists that these mechanisms remain indispensable, particularly as repositories of truth in environments saturated with lies.
Disinformation as a Weapon
Disinformation and misinformation have become central tools of repression. Authoritarian states no longer rely solely on censorship; they flood the information space with false narratives. Muižnieks highlights the importance of investigative and technological initiatives—such as the EU Disinformation Lab, Bellingcat, the Center for Information Resilience, and Amnesty Tech—in countering these tactics.
Effective human rights advocacy today, he argues, requires not only legal expertise but also technological sophistication and compelling communication strategies capable of reaching broader audiences.
Looking Forward: Social Entrepreneurship and Resilience
The interview concludes on a more hopeful note with Muižnieks’ new role as Director of the Social Entrepreneurship Association of Latvia. The move reflects his belief that social resilience, economic inclusion, and grassroots initiatives are vital complements to legal and institutional human rights work.
For the Arrested Lawyers Initiative, this conversation reinforces a central truth: the persecution of lawyers is not a side effect of authoritarianism—it is a strategy. And defending lawyers, documenting abuses, and holding institutions accountable remain essential tasks, even when progress feels distant.
As Muižnieks reminds us, history is not linear. Change can come unexpectedly—but only if those committed to justice are prepared.
Categories: Interviews