On June 12th, the Law and Democracy Center “Justice Hub,” in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice of Lithuania, successfully organized a conference titled “Responsibility of Lukashenka’s Regime for Crimes against Humanity and Migrant Crisis: Prospects for International Justice”. The event was held under the patronage of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Ms Ingrida Šimonytė and the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, National Leader of Belarus Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
On behalf of the organizers’ team, we are sharing the main communique takeaways that reflect the summary and highlights of the Conference.
- There is strong evidence to suggest that serious human rights violations in Belarus qualify as crimes against humanity under international customary law. These violations meet the necessary criteria, including being part of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population, carried out by Lukashenka’s regime, with the knowledge of the perpetrators.
- Lukashenka’s regime conducts a policy of terror to oppress the Belarusian people, aiming to uphold and reinforce their dictatorial rule. This targeted aggression focuses on the Belarusian civil society, encompassing individuals who resist the regime or voice criticism towards the dictator and his administration.
- The participants noted various crimes against humanity perpetrated by Lukashenka’s regime. The majority of these crimes include torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, illegal imprisonment, and political or national persecution. Additionally, the regime has been involved in cases of murder, rape, severe sexual violence, enforced disappearances, deportation, and forced population transfers.
- Сrimes against humanity in Belarus are primarily perpetrated by government officials and State agents. Mr. Lukashenka, as the regime’s leader, bears individual responsibility for giving orders, inducing, or failing to prevent these crimes. Also, the majority of Belarusian law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and even judges are involved in the commission of crimes against humanity.
- The conference’s participants highlighted the importance of continued collection and storage of evidence for achieving accountability.
- Experts defined several possibilities to achieve justice, such as International Tribunal and universal jurisdiction; also, the idea of the People’s Tribunal was raised.
You may access the full text, including the main conclusions and proposals heard at the conference, of a Communique here.
The event was organized within the framework of the project “Combating Impunity in the Regime’s Atrocities” and funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).