Poland investigates over dozen “universal jurisdiction” cases of Belarus abuses – politician

April 10, BPN. Poland investigates over a dozen “universal jurisdiction” cases of torture and violence against Belarusians and Poles in Belarus, said Pavieł Łatuška, the head of the Warsaw-based Belarusian National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM).

“Following the investigation, charges should be brought not only against the perpetrators but also against the organizer, Łukašenko,” the member of the opposition’s cabinet said.

Łatuška said prosecutors in Poland now look into the alleged crimes of Łukašenka’s regime in three areas: the forced landing of a Ryanair aircraft in Minsk, the migrant crisis on the EU’s border with Belarus, and torture and violence against Belarusians.

Łatuška said he was confident that these criminal cases would reach the court, and that investigators would provide all legal grounds for a verdict and for Łukašenka to be placed on a wanted list.

“Those involved in the crimes will sooner or later be detained in third countries and taken to court in Poland,” said the opposition politician.

According to Łatuška, the alleged crimes of high-ranking Belarusian officials should be handled by a prosecutor from the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and the investigations, carried out mainly in Lithuania and Poland, should be merged into one international investigation – this is what the NAM aims at in “partnership with Polish and Lithuanian lawyers.”

On March 24, Łatuška said universal jurisdiction cases for alleged crimes against humanity in Belarus had already been opened in the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania and Poland. Polish lawyer Tomasz Wiliński told BPN that up to 1,500 people may be interviewed in different countries as part of a case in Poland.

In December 2021, Wiliński filed a report with the National Public Prosecutor’s Office on Belarusian authorities’ alleged involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity.

In January 2022, Wiliński notified the International Criminal Court in The Hague about crimes allegedly perpetrated by Alaksandr Łukašenka and Belarusian officials. The document, filed on behalf of numerous Belarusian victims, including Łatuška, contains 160 pages of legal reasoning and 40,000 pages of annexes.