The Lithuanian government has officially submitted materials related to cross-border crimes against humanity committed by representatives of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime against Belarusians to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
This was reported by the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, established by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
The Lithuanian side concluded that there are sufficient grounds to believe that Lukashenko and his accomplices are committing crimes against humanity.
Since the relevant crimes were committed both on the territory of Belarus and in the territories of states that are parties to the Rome Statute, the ICC potentially has jurisdiction.
"Lithuania has become the first country to exercise its right under the Rome Statute and refer crimes against humanity committed by the Belarusian regime to the ICC for investigation. We are grateful to the Lithuanian government for its principled decision and actions," said Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus.
"A historical precedent has been set – for the first time in the history of the ICC, a member state of the Rome Statute has referred a situation in a non-member state to the Office of the Prosecutor.
Moreover, for the first time, the ICC will focus on the context of large-scale international crimes in Belarus," emphasized Pavel Latushko, deputy head of the Cabinet, who arrived in The Hague on Monday.
