The UN Human Rights Commission on April 15 condemned alleged human rights abuses by the governments of Belarus and Turkmenistan, an RFE/RL correspondent reported. The Geneva-based commission rejected a motion by Russia to block a resolution on Belarus and adopted it by a vote of 23-13 with 17 abstentions. The commission additionally appointed a special rapporteur to investigate human rights issues in Belarus. "[The resolution] cites the failure of the Belarusian government to cooperate with the relevant special procedures of the commission or to adopt the reforms and election procedures recommended by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe," U.S. envoy in Geneva Richard Williamson said. "It is obvious to anyone that the accusations toward Belarus are built up in the same manner as the statements about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," Belarus' permanent representative to the United Nations, Sergei Oleynik, commented.

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