OSCE implements its mission of promoting peace, stability, and democracy in three main spheres, also called dimensions: politico-military; economic and environmental; and human. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is responsible for the human dimension. It is within its mandate to monitor the implementation of commitments that participating states have undertaken in the field of human rights and democracy.
In the context of the Belarusian presidential election and its aftermath, 17 participating states invoked the Moscow Mechanism – a human dimension tool aimed at addressing human rights concerns. The mechanism entails creating an expert mission, tasked with establishing facts and providing advice on possible solutions to the questions raised.
Although Belarus had decided to refrain from participating in the implementation of the Moscow Mechanism in 2020, the report of the OSCE-appointed expert Professor Dr. Wolfgang Benedek was published on 29 October 2020. First, the rapporteur concluded that “there were evident shortcomings of the presidential elections which did not meet the basic requirements established on the basis of previous election monitoring”. Second, the violations of human rights “were found to be massive and systematic and proven beyond doubt”. The rapporteur also communicated its recommendations to Belarusian authorities.
Belarus is a participating state of the OSCE, and so the OSCE stance on events in Belarus does not go unnoticed by de facto authorities. By using a formal reporting and investigative mechanism, the OSCE shows that it is willing to use the instruments at its disposal to support democratic change and accountability.