Belarus should reinstate its constitutional status as a nuclear-weapon-free country

Posted: 10th April 2025

Civil society organizations from Belarus, Europe and beyond make a submission to the UN as part of the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights obligations of Belarus.

Also in this update:
Invitation to a hybrid event (Nigeria and online) on the UN Pact for the Future and Establishment of a Directorate for the Future

Belarus should reinstate its constitutional status as a nuclear-weapon-free country, return the nuclear weapons deployed in its territory to Russia, and revive its earlier proposal for the establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a submission made to the Human Rights Council in Geneva by a group of seven non-governmental organizations. The submission was made as part of the Universal Periodic Review of Belarus’ adherence to its human rights obligations under international law.

“The threat of nuclear war has increased markedly through conflicts involving nuclear armed and allied states, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” according to the submission. “The Russian nuclear weapons recently deployed in Belarus – Iskander-M short-range nuclear missiles and free-fall nuclear bombs deliverable by Belarussian SU-30 fighter-attack planes – elevate this threat.”

Test of a nuclear capable Iskander Missile of the type being deployed in Belarus.
Photo: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP

Illegality of the acquisition, threat and use of nuclear weapons

The submission cites the UN Human Rights Committee affirmation in 2018 that “The threat or use of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, which are indiscriminate in effect and are of a nature to cause destruction of human life on a catastrophic scale, is incompatible with respect for the right to life and may amount to a crime under international law.”  

The submission also notes the obligation of Belarus under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty “not to receive the transfer from any transferor whatsoever of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or of control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly.”

“The deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, which President Lukashenko has said that he is ready to use without hesitation in case of aggression against Belarus, is in direct violation of international law,” says Rebecca Shoot, Executive Director of Citizens for Global Solutions, one of the organizations making the submission.
One of the SU-30 fighter-attack planes in the Belarussian airforce. Russia has transferred an undisclosed number of free-fall nuclear bombs that can be delivered by the SU-30. These have a yield of 15-20 kilotons.

Belarus as a nuclear-weapon-free country

In the early 1990s, a newly independent Belarus took some exemplary actions for peace and disarmament. This included relinquishing all nuclear weapons that were remaining on its territory following the break-up of the Soviet Union, acceding to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear State, and adopting a constitution that confirmed Belarus as a “neutral, nuclear-weapon-free country” with a foreign policy based on the “non-use of force or the threat of force, the inviolability of frontiers and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”

The submission calls on Belarus not only to reinstate its status as a nuclear-weapon-free nation, but also to support adoption of no-first-use policies and replacement of nuclear deterrence with common security, to help build a shared future based on peace rather than the spectre of nuclear war.

Reviving the Belarus proposal for a European Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone

The submission welcomes the proposal for a Central and Eastern Europe Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone which Belarus submitted to the UN General Assembly in 1990. It calls for Belarus to review, revive and reshape such a proposal, which could help in building security guarantees against the threat or use of nuclear weapons in the region.

The submission also includes the voices of youth, highlighting the rights of current and future generations to peace and to be free from the threat of nuclear annihilation.

“Russian nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus – along with other nuclear weapons deployed by nuclear-weapon States in Europe and globally – threaten the lives and wellbeing of non-combatants, including youth and future generations” says Ayleen Roy, Core Team Member of Youth Fusion. “Youth in Europe and around the world want to transcend borders, cooperating as friends to build a better future, not as enemies divided by nuclear threats.”

Read the full submission:
Nuclear weapons policies and practices of Belarus with respect to international human rights law: List of Issues Submission to the UN Human Rights Council during its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Republic of Belarus.Organizations cosponsoring the submission

UN Pact for the Future and Establishment of a Directorate for the Future

Thursday April 10, Starting at 10am Nigeria Time (GMT+1)
In-person: Cluster D, 3rd Floor, Prof. Chike Edozien State Secretariat, Miriam, Babangida Way, Asaba. Nigeria.
Online: Join on zoom. (Meeting ID: 846 0557 3196. Passcode: 774206)

A one day hybrid dialogue organised by the REED Center to deepen understanding of the UN Pact for the Future and engage stakeholders and citizens in protection of future generations in the Delta State, Nigeria. This will include discussions on the desirability or otherwise of the establishment of a Directorate for the Future.  For further information Contact the Reed Centre.Yours sincerely
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