Opposition figure calls for political will to charge Łukašenka and cronies

June 12, BPN. A Belarusian opposition figure has accused the West of lacking political will to hold Alaksandr Łukašenka’s government accountable, citing low enthusiasm of Western ministers and prosecutors.

Pavieł Łatuška told an international conference in Vilnius that in the three years since the 2020 presidential election, not a single person has been put on a wanted list for the Belarus crackdown. According to him, killings, rape and torture are of a “mass and systemic nature,” but most Belarusians no longer believe that justice will prevail.

“A systemic and massive crime can never be stopped unless there is accountability,” Łatuška said. “As a politician, I address all authorized officials: use your political will, use law and statute.”

He said the most realistic way to hold the Łukašenka government accountable was by charging it with illegal deportation of Ukrainian children, although there were other options and mechanisms.

Accountability would split the elites, and “an arrest warrant for Łukašenka can become a destabilizing factor for the whole political system of Belarus,” Łatuška argued.