Kristina Rikhter, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, commented on the report of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee:
“We really appreciate public statements by members of the European Parliament as they signal support for Belarusians. They signal the MEPs’ awareness of the crimes committed by the Lukashenka regime and its representatives. The MEPs’ stance is unlikely to be the determining factor in the ICC prosecutor's decision to authorize an arrest warrant for Lukashenka.
We must understand that after appearing in an official report, such a call becomes an item for discussion. And we have to urge MEPs to promote this request at their national level. Then governments can inform the ICC prosecutor about the situation in Belarus. This carries no expense, but the legal implications are entirely different. The prosecutor will have to respond, and his refusal to commence an investigation may be contested”.
