October 1, Pozirk. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will be the first treaty ratified by Belarus after the collapse of dictatorship, opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja told a press conference in The Hague.
On September 30, at the request of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM) and on the basis of its documents, the Lithuanian government submitted a referral concerning transnational crimes against humanity committed by Alaksandar Łukašenka and his accomplices against Belarusians to the ICC prosecutor.
This historic day brings hope for justice and accountability, Cichanoŭskaja said. A new Belarus will have no place for international crime or criminals hiding from international justice, she said, adding that the country will be under the ICC jurisdiction.
In a video statement yesterday, NAM head Pavieł Łatuška expressed hope that the referral will lead to an arrest warrant for Łukašenka.
“Essentially, it set a new precedent. For the first time in the ICC practice, a member of the Rome Statute has referred to the prosecutor’s office a situation relating to a non-member,” he said.
