ICC to Open Belarus Crimes Against Humanity Inquiry at Lithuanian Request

10/03/2024

International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan promised to launch a preliminary inquiry against Belarus over alleged crimes against humanity under the rule of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko after Lithuania submitted an investigation referral. 

Belarus is not a member of the ICC, but a court member can bring a case at the ICC involving alleged crimes that are partly committed on its own territory. 

In a statement, Lithuania said hundreds of thousands of Belarusians had sought humanitarian refuge in the country and elsewhere in the European Union. It affirmed that the forced deportation of people directly affected Lithuania's security interests and obliged it to seek the involvement of the court. 

According to the ICC prosecutor, the referral covers alleged deportation, persecution, and inhumane acts committed in Belarus by its political and military leaders from April 2020 onwards. 

Read more here