A press conference took place in The Hague today, involving Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Pavel Latushka of the National Anti-Crisis Management. They spoke in detail about the referral submitted by the Lithuanian government to the International Criminal Court regarding the Lukashenka regime’s crimes against humanity targeting Belarusians.
This is the first time an international judicial institution will officially examine the regime’s crimes, reflecting the global community’s serious stance on the situation in Belarus. This will both increase international pressure on the regime and create a precedent for other countries to bring cases against the Lukashenka regime to court.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya:
“Dear excellencies, friends, experts, human rights defenders,
Dear journalists,
Today is a historic day. For the hundreds of thousands who have suffered under the Belarus regime, today brings hope. Hope for justice. And hope that all perpetrators will be brought to account.
I want to thank Lithuania represented by Vice Minister of Justice Gabija Grigaitė-Daugirdė. For years, Lithuania stood with our people, with all those oppressed. You – alongside Poland, Latvia, Germany, and others – have provided a safe refuge to dozens of thousands of people fleeing repression.
Dear Minister, thank you for bringing the Belarus case to the ICC. It is the first step to restoring justice in Belarus and ending this vicious circle of terror.
Since 2020, Belarus has become an arena of mass atrocities and large-scale international crimes. Mass torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, rapes and other sexual violence, enforced disappearances, arbitrary imprisonment and murder committed by the regime. And all these atrocities happen in a climate of total impunity for the perpetrators.
Fear and persecution forced hundreds of thousands of Belarusians to flee their homeland leaving everything behind – our lives, homes, and loved ones. More than 300,000 became victims of the crime of deportation.
However, the dictator not only expels people beyond the borders of Belarus; he continues to persecute them abroad. They face intimidation, threats of violence; criminal persecution of relatives and friends; trials in absentia, extraterritorial persecution, confiscation of property; deprivation of other fundamental rights.
These crimes can be counted as crimes against humanity. They are committed by higher officials of the regime against Belarusians in exile. And partly, they occurred in the territories of countries that are parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
We want the world to hear this: The Belarus regime is committing crimes against humanity on the territory of the European Union.
Dear friends,
Today, we call on other countries to endorse the Lithuanian referral to the ICC. Show your commitment to the ideals and values of democratic peace and justice. We ask you to exercise your right under Article 14 of the Rome Statute.
Do this for justice. Do this for us. Belarusians can not exercise this right yet.
But today, I would like to declare on behalf of the Belarusian people: The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court will be the first treaty ratified by the new Belarus after the fall of the dictatorship.
In the new Belarus, there will be no place for international crimes or criminals seeking to hide from international justice. Belarus will be a territory where the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction.
Dear friends,
I want to acknowledge the work of all partners, international experts, and human rights defenders who helped make this referral possible; many of them are in this room.
I want to thank my deputy Pavel Latushka and the National Anti-Crisis Management team separately, who have done remarkable work on bringing the Belarus case to international courts.
I want to thank The Human Rights Center Viasna and the Center for Global Justice & Human Rights “M.A.R.A.”, the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, who have collected enormous amounts of data and evidence of crimes of the regime.
I want to thank the all ambassadors and diplomats of all governments, who help the Belarusian people. Not only in accountability, but also supporting our civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders. Please continue doing that. Your help is essential for us.
Recently, we also have launched the International Humanitarian Fund to support the repressed in Belarus. Norway and Sweden were the first to donate, and I invite all governments to contribute.
I am confident that together we will restore justice and hold the regime accountable for its crimes.
Let us continue to bring justice for every victim.
Thank you!”
