On September 30, representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) a request from the Republic of Lithuania to start an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the regime of Oleksandr Lukashenka, including the forced deportation of persons, persecution and other cruel actions contrary to the basic norms of international law.
Points of attention
- Lithuania submitted a request to the ICC to investigate crimes against humanity committed by the regime of Oleksandr Lukashenka, including forced deportation and persecution.
- Svitlana Tykhanovska supported Lithuania's appeal and highlighted the violence of Lukashenka's regime against peaceful protesters in Belarus.
- The Lukashenka regime's actions, from forced deportation to torture, are being scrutinized, with over 60 thousand Belarusians currently living in exile in Lithuania.
- The illegitimate president of Belarus, Lukashenka, has been accused of supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which could lead to accountability for acts of aggression.
- The documentary 'Mutilated Childhood' sheds light on the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia, showcasing real stories and experts' insights on protecting children's rights.
Lithuania accuses Lukashenko of crimes against humanity
The decision was taken after the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania evaluated the materials provided by the democratic opposition of Belarus about the regime's crimes against humanity, and also collected sufficient evidence from other sources: non-governmental organizations and other initiative platforms that record crimes, collect and preserve evidence, work with victims of crimes.
Independent experts on international law were engaged to conduct a legal assessment of the situation.
The leader of the Belarusian opposition in exile, Svitlana Tykhanovskaya, supported the appeal to Lithuania.
The crimes of this regime, from forced deportation to illegal detention and torture, cannot go unpunished. Lithuania's courage gives us hope that the world will finally hold the regime accountable for its violence.
Svitlana Tykhanovskaya
Belarusian politician
According to her, due to the repression of the regime in Minsk, about 300,000 Belarusians were forced to leave the country, every 13th Belarusian now lives in exile.
According to the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania, currently more than 60 thousand Belarusians permanently live in Lithuania.
After the falsified presidential elections in Belarus in 2020, the country's civil society rose up against Lukashenka — there were mass protests and opposition movements for the democratic future of Belarus. These initiatives were brutally suppressed by the Lukashenka regime, mass persecution of all those who did not support the regime, torture, arrests and illegal imprisonment began.
At the end of 2020, Lithuania started a pre-trial investigation into crimes against humanity due to the violence of the Lukashenka regime against peaceful protesters in Belarus.
The illegitimate president of Belarus, Oleksandr Lukashenko, supported the Russian dictator Putin in carrying out a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when Russian troops invaded the northern part of Ukraine from the territory of Belarus.
According to international law, giving another country territory for aggression against a third country is an act of aggression, so if an international tribunal for crimes of aggression is created, the Lukashenko regime could be held accountable.
Lukashenka's regime helps the Russian Federation in abducting children from Ukraine's TOT
This is stated in the statement of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. This document was distributed by the European External Action Service on August 8.
The statement was released on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the falsified presidential elections in Belarus in August 2020.
As noted, in addition to the political, military and logistical support of Russia, the regime of Oleksandr Lukashenko "facilitated the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children from the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia."
According to Yale University, more than 2,400 Ukrainian children between the ages of 6 and 17 have been illegally taken to Belarus since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The European Union called on the authorities of Russia and Belarus to immediately return to Ukraine the children abducted from the temporarily occupied territories, and reminded the totalitarian regimes in both countries of international responsibility for the crimes committed.
What is known about the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia
In 2023, the Online.UA team presented the documentary "Mutilated Childhood", which reveals the truth about Russia's abduction of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The film contains real stories of children and their families who suffered from Russia's war against Ukraine, comments by leading scientists, psychologists, lawyers and experts on the protection of children's rights.
The heroes of the tape went through Russian captivity, torture, abduction to a health camp, some were separated from their parents during the so-called filtering measures.
