International human rights group calls on Belarus to drop support for Russia’s hostilities

February 24, BPN. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has called on Russia to immediately halt its military hostilities against Ukraine, and on Belarus to stop backing these actions.

In order to promote justice in Ukraine and the world more effectively, it is necessary to recognize that Russia poses a constant threat to international peace and security and respond to it more decisively, FIDH said in a press release.

It said it supported a call for discussion of accountability mechanisms for international crimes carried out in Ukraine, such as a special tribunal for the crime of aggression.

On January 26, the EU said that Belarus must stop providing military support to Russia, and that any direct involvement in the war against Ukraine will be met with “new and strong restrictive measures.”

Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine from Belarusian territory, where it has an increased military presence. It used Belarus as a launchpad for its February 2022 offensive on Kyiv. At the same time, Belarus says its troops are not directly involved in hostilities in Ukraine.