Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights presented a report on the human rights situation in Belarus during and after the 2020 presidential campaign. Kristina Richter, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's advisor on legal issues, commented on the report.
“At first glance, the conclusions of the report are very cautious, only suggesting "some of the violations in Belarus may also amount to crimes against humanity". But the fact is that determining a crime is the prerogative of the court.
I shall also focus on the report by the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus. This document is based on the testimony of hundreds of victims who were held at the Akrestsina detention center from August 9 to 14, 2020. The report details how the torture machine worked.
The conclusions of both documents will not allow us to simply "turn over the page", as Lukashenka has proposed. And recent news about the International Criminal Court issuing an arrest warrant for Putin shows that even the status of a nuclear power leader cannot help one escape justice. The principle of unavoidability of punishment is not an empty sound in the democratic world. Sooner or later we will see those responsible for monstrous torture in court”.
