Lithuania submits evidence of Belarusian regime's crimes to International Criminal Court
In a historic move, the Lithuanian government has officially submitted evidence of crimes committed by the Belarusian authorities against their own citizens to the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. This information was reported by the Belarusian United Transitional Cabinet on Telegram.
“Given that these crimes were committed both on the territory of Belarus and member states of the Rome Statute, the ICC potentially has jurisdiction,” the cabinet's statement read.
The materials, gathered by experts from the "People's Anti-Crisis Administration", were reviewed by Lithuanian authorities, who concluded that there are substantial grounds to believe that President Alexander Lukashenko and other members of Belarus's military-political leadership have committed crimes against humanity.
“Lithuania has become the first country to exercise its right under the Rome Statute to refer crimes against humanity committed by the Belarusian regime to the ICC. We are grateful to the Lithuanian government for its principled and decisive actions,” said Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, head of the United Transitional Cabinet.
“The crimes committed by this regime, from forced deportations to illegal arrests and torture, cannot go unpunished.
Lithuania's courage gives us hope that the world is finally holding the regime accountable.
The evidence gathered by Belarusian democratic forces is undeniable,” stated Tikhanovskaya in a Twitter post.
Lithuania does not recognize Alexander Lukashenko as the legitimate president of Belarus. The office of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, whom Lithuania regards as the elected president of Belarus, is located in Vilnius.