Pavel Yevseyenko
MINSK, 17 June (BelTA) - Any unilateral measures without or beyond the authorization of the Security Council that cannot be qualified as retorsions or countermeasures are illegal measures under international law, Pavel Yevseyenko, Belarus’ Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said at a meeting of the UN General Assembly on 16 June, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The issue of unilateral coercive measures has been the subject of discussion by the General Assembly, its main committees, the UN Human Rights Council, and other bodies and organizations of the UN system for several years now,” the diplomat said. “During discussions on this topic, a small group of states that use such measures as a tool to promote their foreign policy constantly try to mislead member states with blatant lies and misrepresentation of the subject, content, and effects of unilateral sanctions.”
"Any unilateral measures without or beyond the authorization of the Security Council cannot be classified as retaliatory restrictions or countermeasures, are illegal under international law and constitute unilateral coercive measures, which have been condemned in numerous resolutions of the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly,” Pavel Yevseyenko said.
He also emphasized: “In every situation in the world, unilateral coercive measures have a negative impact on human rights, including the right to life, the right to health, the right to freedom from hunger, the right to an adequate standard of living, food, education, work, and housing, and the right to development. Unilateral sanctions and excessive compliance with requirements have a detrimental effect on the realization of all aspects of the right to health of all people in countries under sanctions, including access to essential medicines, medical facilities, medical equipment, and qualified medical care.”
The Belarusian diplomat noted that this fact applies to all types of coercive measures, regardless of their formally stated goals or objectives, including economic, financial, political, or any other type of measures aimed at the entire state or targeted or sectoral measures applied to other states, individuals, companies, or other non-governmental entities.
“The real purpose of restrictive coercive measures is to change the policy or behavior of another state, to achieve its submission in the exercise of its sovereign rights, to secure advantages of any kind, or to warn, coerce, or punish the state against which sanctions are imposed,” Pavel Yevseyenko emphasized.
“States imposing unilateral sanctions classify them as a foreign policy tool and an administrative mechanism to prevent the use of guarantees of procedural norms, the presumption of innocence, and fair trial. Unilateral coercive measures, the methods of their application, and their excessive enforcement lead to gross violations of the human rights of the country under sanctions,” Belarus’ deputy permanent representative said.
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