The Lithuanian Ministry of Justice has submitted a request to the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) to investigate crimes against humanity committed by the regime of Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka. This was reported by LRT and the leader of the Belarusian opposition Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya, UNN reports with reference to Delfi.
According to LRT, these are crimes such as forced deportation, persecution of people for their political views, and other violations of international law. The decision was made by the Lithuanian government on the basis of materials received from Belarusian oppositionists.
"We are grateful to the Lithuanian government for its principled decision and actions. It gives hope to hundreds of thousands of victims, to all victims of repression. Hope for justice, hope that crimes will not go unpunished. The perpetrators must be brought to international justice, and the repression must stop." All illegally convicted persons must be released and rehabilitated," Tikhanovska wrote on her Telegram channel.
Deputy Chairman of the Joint Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Pavel Latushko noted that Lithuania had set a "historical precedent" - for the first time, a request was submitted to the ICC about the situation in a state that is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. The Belarusian opposition insists that the crimes of Lukashenka's regime are of a transboundary nature and therefore fall under the jurisdiction of the court.
Belarusian oppositionists called on other ICC member states to support Lithuania's decision.
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