Lithuania has filed a lawsuit against Belarus with the International Court of Justice of the United Nations and demands compensation for organizing the illegal flow of migrants
Kyiv • UNN
Lithuania has filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice of the United Nations against Belarus, demanding compensation for organizing the illegal flow of migrants. Vilnius accuses the Lukashenko regime of using migrants as a political weapon.
The Lithuanian government has filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice against Belarus, accusing the Alexander Lukashenko regime of organizing the mass illegal transportation of migrants across the common border. According to official Vilnius, this is a deliberate use of the migration crisis as a political weapon against the EU and Lithuania in particular. The Lithuanian side demands compensation and termination of such actions in the future. This is reported by UNN with reference to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.
Details
On May 19, the Lithuanian government officially appealed to the International Court of Justice with a lawsuit against the Republic of Belarus, accusing it of violating obligations under the UN Protocol against illegal import of migrants. Lithuania demands that the Belarusian regime be brought to international responsibility for the organized flow of migrants that began in 2021.
According to the Lithuanian authorities, Belarus deliberately created and managed illegal border crossing channels: state-owned enterprises increased flights from the Middle East, issued visas and organized accommodation.
After the arrival of migrants to Belarus, they were allegedly escorted to the border with Lithuania by Belarusian security forces, forcing them to cross it in dangerous conditions.
Despite repeated calls for cooperation, the border services of Belarus ignored Lithuania's requests to stop these actions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.
Vilnius considers the situation as "a deliberate attempt to use migration as an instrument of political pressure" in response to the EU's support for Belarusian democracy and sanctions for human rights violations.
Lithuania uses all instruments of international law to bring undemocratic regimes to justice
In particular, in 2023, Lithuania was the first to initiate an appeal to the International Criminal Court regarding crimes against humanity by the Lukashenko regime.
In its lawsuit, Lithuania demands full compensation from Belarus, including the costs of building a border wall, as well as legal guarantees of non-repetition of such actions.