CCPR/C/122/D/2228/2012
United Nations
International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights
Distr.: General
6 June 2018
Original: English
Human Rights Committee
Views adopted by the Committee under article 5 (4) of the
Optional Protocol, concerning communication No.
2228/2012*, **
Communication submitted by:
Maya Abromchik (represented by counsel,
Sergey Golubok)
Alleged victim:
The author
State party:
Belarus
Date of communication:
9 August 2012 (initial submission)
Document references:
Decision taken pursuant to rule 97 of the Committee’s
rules of procedure, transmitted to the State party on 17
August 2012 (not issued in document form)
Date of adoption of Views:
20 March 2018
Subject matter:
Ill-treatment by the police
Procedural issues:
Exhaustion of domestic remedies; substantiation
Substantive issues:
Torture; effective investigation
Articles of the Covenant:
2 (3) and 7
Articles of the Optional Protocol:
1, 2 and 5 (2) (b)
1.
The author of the communication is Maya Abromchik, a national of Belarus born in
1989. She claims that the State party has violated her rights under article 7 of the Covenant.
The Optional Protocol entered into force for Belarus on 30 December 1992. The author is
represented by counsel, Sergey Golubok.
The facts as submitted by the author
2.1
On the evening of 19 December 2010, the author intended to observe the peaceful
assembly in the centre of Minsk that followed the announcement of the results of the
presidential election in Belarus, together with her friends. After the event, at approximately
11.50 p.m., while moving along the avenue, the author and her friends were suddenly
stopped by a special unit of the riot police. When the police attempted to detain some of the
* Adopted by the Committee at its 122nd session (12 March–6 April 2018).
** The following members of the Committee participated in the examination of the communication:
Tania María Abdo Rocholl, Yadh Ben Achour, Ilze Brands Kehris, Sarah Cleveland,
Olivier de Frouville, Christof Heyns, Ivana Jelić, Bamariam Koita, Marcia V.J. Kran,
Duncan Laki Muhumuza, Photini Pazartzis, Mauro Politi, José Manuel Santos Pais,
Yuval Shany and Margo Waterval.
GE.18-09118(E)