Opening remarks by the Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Pavel Latushka at the side event "The Belarus Situation at the ICC: ICC Jurisdiction and the Need for State Party Support" held during the 23rd Session of the ICC Assembly of State Parties
December 2, 2024, The Hague
Dear Head of the International Representation of the Ministry of Foreign Justice of Lithuania Mr. Dzikovic, Representatives of ICC States Parties.
Dear organizers and speakers, dear guests,
First and foremost, thank you for attracting attention to Belarus and the crimes committed by its authorities inside and outside of the country. I believe that this is the very first event ever dedicated to the Belarusian situation at the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court.
It has been 4 and a half years since Belarus became an arena of mass atrocities… 4 years of grave international crimes, such as mass torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, rapes and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, arbitrary imprisonment and murder…
All these atrocities occur in a climate of total impunity for the perpetrators.
The authorities in Minsk have created an awfully efficient machine for mass persecuting and repression of those perceived as "disloyal". This regime has developed and implemented a whole state policy of persecution, introducing legislation aimed at discriminating against those perceived as disloyal in order to, as Aleksandr Lukashenko has repeatedly stated himself, to “clean the Belarusian society”.
The created atmosphere of fear, terror and persecution forced about 300,000 people to flee their homeland. This means every thirtieth resident left Belarus. They were simply left with no other choice. We consider all of them as victims of the crime of deportation, a crime against humanity.
However, the Belarusian authorities did not stop at expelling part of the population beyond the borders of Belarus; they have continued to persecute Belarusians abroad.
Those abroad and in exile were subjected to:
intimidation and threats of violence;
pressure and criminal persecution of relatives and friends;
judicial harassment, namely persecution by means of politically motivated criminal cases, trials in absentia with no due process, seizure and confiscation of property;
deprivation of other fundamental rights.
We believe that these actions cumulatively amount to the crime against humanity of persecution, committed extraterritorially by high officials of the regime against Belarusians in exile.
Therefore, on September 30, Lithuania was the first country that, following the ideals of international justice, has exercised its right under Article 14 of the Rome Statute and referred the situation of transborder crimes against humanity of senior officials of the Lukashenko authorities to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
One of the most important questions today is: Will other countries join Lithuania's referral in the future?
Practice shows that other state parties joining the referral is important for the success of this process.
We therefore call on our partners - especially Poland and Latvia, who have provided a safe haven to the majority of Belarusian refugees - to join Lithuania’s courageous referral, strengthening these accountability efforts. And I truly believe that this excellent expert discussion today will provide the attendees with convincing arguments.
I thank you!
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