Upper house approves bill against dead war criminals

June 30, BPN. The Council of the Republic, the upper house of the National Assembly, has approved a bill that would allowing for criminal prosecution of the deceased, its press office reports.

Belarusian MPs approved two readings of the bill on June 15.

If Alaksandr Łukašenka signs it into law as it stands, authorities would be authorized to prosecute deceased persons under 10 articles of the Criminal Code, including for “aggressive war,” international terrorism, genocide, manufacturing prohibited weapons, using weapons of mass destruction, and committing ecocide.

In mid-March, Prosecutor General Andrej Švied said he was determined to prosecute deceased Nazis “to restore the full picture of their crimes.” He added that the prosecutors might demand the extradition of still-living SS fugitives from Latin America and Canada, as well as of suspects living in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.