One of the key tasks that the coalition "Latushka’s Team and Freedom Movement" sets is to ensure responsibility for Lukashenko's international crimes.
Currently, international and Belarusian experts are actively working on ensuring international justice in relation to the Belarusian dictator and his accomplices. This is a lengthy process that requires significant human and financial resources. The coalition will continue to actively promote this direction, but that does not mean that nothing can be done now to rehabilitate the victims of repression in Belarus.
After the formation of the new Coordination Council, the coalition intends to make the necessary efforts to create a People's Tribunal for the most serious crimes committed in Belarus. This is one of the first initiatives the coalition plans to undertake in the Coordinating Council.
Have there been such tribunals before?
People's tribunals are not a new concept. They have been created and successfully operated in situations where international justice has limited potential or is impossible.
What is a People's Tribunal?
People's tribunals are a form of grassroots justice, taking the form of tribunals organized by civil society. They adhere as closely as possible to accepted standards of procedural norms, present high-quality legal analysis and consultations, and may serve as a model for the use of legally binding justice.
Formally, the decisions of such tribunals do not have legally binding force. They derive their power from the public nature of the analysis, the authority and qualifications of the judges and experts involved, and the transparency, integrity, and honesty of the procedures.
What is the need for a People's Tribunal in Belarus?
The main purposes are as follows:
Public rehabilitation of victims of crimes and partial restoration of their demand for justice;
Expanding the rights and opportunities of victims to document their testimony;
Identifying perpetrators of relevant crimes and creating conditions for their prompt prosecution in the future;
Establishing a fund of legitimate evidence of the crimes committed;
Increasing public awareness of the crimes committed.
What crimes can be considered by the People's Tribunal?
There are no formal restrictions. The coalition aims to have such a tribunal consider crimes against humanity committed in Belarus.
Lukashenko will be held accountable for all crimes against the Belarusian people. The results of the tribunal's work will put pressure on the Lukashenko system and promote the split of the elites. They will also go down in history and become a legacy for the Belarusian nation, ensuring that this is never repeated in our country.
The “Latushka’s Team and Movement for Freedom” Coalition plans to initiate the creation of this tribunal after the formation of a new Coordination Council.