Lithuania Submits Documents Confirming Crimes Of Lukashenka Regime To ICC

An investigation has begun.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has accepted a package of documents proving the commission of crimes during the brutal repressions in Belarus. This was done at the request of Lithuania, which is a signatory to the Rome Statute, Novaya Gazeta. Baltia reports.

The package of documents was legally formalized and delivered to the Hague. The ICC accepted it for consideration and will begin a preliminary investigation, which will take at least several months, but may be completed by the end of 2024.

For a long time, Lithuania was collecting evidence that the authorities in Belarus committed numerous crimes against humanity after the presidential elections in 2020. In particular, it took on the investigation of the first criminal case on torture.

We are now talking about thousands of facts. Only 3.5 thousand people were recognized as political prisoners (some, having served their time, have already been released). And several people convicted under political articles died in places of detention — their cases were not properly investigated, human rights activists say.

One of the important aspects that will be considered and which gave grounds to start the process is the expulsion of Belarusians under the threat of illegal criminal prosecution outside the country. According to various estimates, from 300 to 500 thousand people were forced to leave the Republic of Belarus after the events of 2020.

Why was the case formed only now? Lawyers at the conference, which was held in Vilnius, expressed the following idea: on the one hand, there are obvious procedural difficulties - how to interrogate the accused and witnesses, collect evidence, bring charges? Even if they are convicted in absentia, so what? On the other hand, there is not enough political will.

The process has finally moved forward thanks to the Lithuanian government. The seriousness of the approach is demonstrated by the fact that the legal paperwork was handled by a reputable London company associated with George Clooney (the actor is actively involved in the movement to draw the world's attention to mass crimes).

“There can be nothing more destructive for a people than to be beaten by law enforcement officials for striving for freedom, justice and a democratic future, and as a result to end up under the rule of a brutal dictatorship,” Lithuanian Justice Minister Evelina Dobrovolska said at a conference in Vilnius in early September. “This is an attempt to erase the history and identity of the nation.”

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