Lithuania, a NATO member country, has asked the prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to investigate alleged crimes against humanity committed by the authoritarian regime of the Belarusian dictator, Aleksander Lukashenko, against its own people and to demand arrest warrants against him and other leaders.
Although Belarus does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice said in a statement that the expulsion or deportation of political opponents from Belarus to Lithuania amounts to committing a crime on Lithuanian territory and could therefore be investigated by the ICC prosecutor. TPI.
Thousands of Belarusians have been expelled or fled to Lithuania and other nearby countries because Lukashenko and his security forces “waged a campaign against the civilian population of Belarus,” the Lithuanian government said in a statement.
This campaign includes “severe deprivation of fundamental rights; arbitrary detention, prosecution and conviction, severe illegal violence, murders, sexual violence, physical and mental harm, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, intimidation and harassment, forced labor and enforced disappearance, among many others,” the report added.
Lithuania’s Justice Minister, Ewelina Dobrowolska, stated that the objective of initiating an investigation against the Belarusian regime is to issue international arrest warrants for Lukashenko and other members of his dictatorship and security forces.
“Lithuania was the first country to turn to the ICC regarding the situation in Ukraine and ultimately an arrest warrant was issued for (Russian dictator Vladimir) Putin. Now, we are asking the ICC to investigate the situation in Belarus and we hope for an arrest warrant for Lukashenko,” said Dobrowolska.
The request to the ICC prosecutor calls for an investigation into events in the country since May 2020.
In 2020, a presidential election, considered unfair and fraudulent by much of the international community, gave Lukashenko re-election against opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who then fled to Lithuania.
Tsikhanouskaya supports Lithuania’s request to the ICC prosecutor and is quoted in the Lithuanian statement as saying: “This is not just about Belarus, but about justice for all those who value democratic peace. Enough of impunity. The International Criminal Court offers a clear path forward. We urge you to exercise your rights under Article 14 of the Rome Statute and help put an end to this regime of terror.”
The Lithuanian embassy in The Hague called a press conference this Tuesday (1st) to better explain its request to the ICC.
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