When are we going to get any justice?

Roundtable "Universal Jurisdiction Mechanisms. Common Approaches and Peculiarities of Application in the Republic of Poland"

"When are we going to get any justice and bring to account at least one collaborator of the regime who abused people in prisons, using torture and physical violence? Is it possible in principle — as long as a dictator remains in power?" This is the question that asks almost every Belarusian, who has not been able to "turn the page" and forget the terrible events of 2020.

Our team continues to explore all possibilities to prosecute Lukashenko’s minions today, using the universal jurisdiction as a tool. The task facing the team is a very difficult one, as we are practically setting a precedent by trying to take each case to the point of declaring criminals internationally wanted.

Angelika Melnikova, Project Manager: "We realize that before the change of power in Belarus, a trial is impossible. But the minimum we can do today is to put the names of criminals on Interpol lists, so that they won’t be able to move freely now and, in due course, hide from justice".

Given the complexity of promoting the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, the NAM team held a roundtable in Warsaw, which was also attended by Polish lawyers — experts in international criminal law, as well as the lawyer of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya Office, Kristina Rikhter.

During the event the participants exchanged their experience and knowledge about the application of the principle in the EU countries, the possibilities of forcing such cases in Poland and attracting public attention to the issue.

Artsiom Praskalovich, Council for internal policy and public administration: "Today we are entering an active phase of action, which we hope will make it possible to advance as far as possible the practical application of the institutions of universal jurisdiction and declare the perpetrators of violence on the territory of Belarus internationally wanted".

We would like to remind that we are looking for victims who wish to use the opportunity to bring perpetrators to justice using the mechanisms of universal jurisdiction.

We will continue our efforts to ensure that the henchmen of the regime who committed crimes against the Belarusian people are held accountable.