Pavel Latushka took part in the panel discussion at the opening of the Belarusian Conference in Tallinn
At the opening of the event, the deputy head of the UTC, the head of NAM noted:
“Democracy begins with responsibility. 2020 gave Belarusians the opportunity to take responsibility for their civilized choice. 2020 is an achievement of the Belarusian people. Force was used against the Belarusians, but the Belarusians did not respond with violence. We, Belarusians, have taken responsibility for civilized elections. We bear responsibility today, we do not shift this responsibility to others. But has the democratic world taken responsibility for Belarus? Unfortunately no.
Until the criminal Alexander Lukashenko, a war criminal responsible for crimes against humanity, faces the threat of accountability, democracy will not win in Belarus. Therefore, the current strategy is to do everything to bring Lukashenko to justice based on the collected materials.
Crimes against Ukrainian children, war crimes, 136 thousand victims of crimes against humanity between May 2020 and May 2023 - Materials transferred to the International Criminal Court. Cases in national jurisdictions on facts of violence against Belarusians. What prevents prosecution? From my point of view as a lawyer, nothing. We need political will. Take one step.
And this is a test. Democracy test. Not only the Belarusian people, but also the European Union stand the test. If, using the example of Belarus, the European Union and European democracy do not pass it, will Belarusians believe in democracy? Will these prospects change in 2025?
Democracy will not win until there is accountability".