Lithuania referred the case of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and members of his government to the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing them of committing crimes against humanity, according to AP News.
Opposition groups in Belarus faced harsh repression since nationwide protests erupted in 2020. Back then, disputed election results led Lukashenko to a sixth term in office. Hundreds of thousands of people fled the country, with opposition leaders either forced to leave the country or sent to prison.
Appealing to the ICC, Lithuania stated that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Lukashenko’s government was involved in “deportation, persecution and other inhumane acts” against civilians in Belarus. According to the appeal, Minsk “has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of lawful residents of Belarus to the territories of neighbouring Lithuania” and other signatories to the court.
Lithuania said this “amounts to a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population.” As Lukashenko seeks a seventh term in office next year, exiled opposition leaders say he is stepping up pressure on Belarusians who have moved abroad.
