Pavel Latushka: Will Lukashenko come to Poland?
Currently, the National Prosecutor's Office of Poland is conducting criminal proceedings against Alexander Lukashenko and officials under his command for crimes committed against national and political groups, as well as other individuals.
The National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM) is actively working to thoroughly investigate the crimes committed by Lukashenko and his accomplices against Belarusian and foreign citizens. We are providing relevant materials to the Prosecutor's Office of Poland, the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine.
In line with the agreements reached in November 2023, Marcin Wiącek, the Commissioner for Civil Rights of Poland, has updated Pavel Latushka, the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM), on the progress in reviewing the applications submitted by Belarusians regarding the crimes committed against them.
In his letter to the NAM, the Ombudsman of Poland mentioned that the Department for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office of Poland in Lublin is currently examining the following cases:
The crimes against humanity committed by Alexander Lukashenko and other identified officials of the Republic of Belarus, against both Belarusian and foreign citizens, including multiple instances of murder, serious manslaughter, infliction of serious bodily and mental harm, and the deliberate creation of living conditions with the aim of physically destroying, either completely or partially, a national or political group. These acts were carried out by an organized armed criminal group, which included Alexander Lukashenko and other named officials, as part of a state policy that constitutes political terrorism supported by state terrorism.
The hijacking of a Polish aircraft, involving the illegal act of forcing Ryanair flight FR4978 to land on June 21, 2021, at Minsk airport in the Republic of Belarus. This action, carried out by officers of the Belarusian KGB following the orders of Alexander Lukashenko and other individuals, posed a direct threat to the lives and health of many people, causing harm to both private interests and the interests of the Republic of Poland.
The trafficking of persons, exploiting citizens of Iraq and other nationalities, involving the recruitment, transportation, delivery, transfer, harboring, or reception of individuals from outside the territory of Belarus for a fee, with the purpose of forcing them to illegally cross the border of Belarus with European Union countries (Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland). This was committed by Alexander Lukashenko as the leading executive using the state administration subordinate to him, along with Belarusian travel agencies acting on behalf of the state administration.
Instances of violence and threats against groups and individuals based on their national and political affiliation, particularly those associated with the democratic white-red-white national symbols of Belarus. These acts, carried out by Alexander Lukashenko and other identified officials, involved the use of illegal and punitive threats through media information, internet portals, and messengers, indicating the potential commission of crimes against the health and lives of threatened individuals and their families.
A joint investigation team, consisting of Poland, Lithuania, and Germany, has been established to investigate these crimes. The investigation is being conducted based on a decision by the Deputy Prosecutor General of Poland for Organized Crime and Corruption.
Marcin Wiącek assured Pavel Latushka that he will continue to monitor the progress of the investigation to ensure the respect for rights and civil liberties.
Pavel Latushka, head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, commented on the prospects of legal prosecution, stating, "The continued work of the Polish prosecutor's office on the possible involvement of Lukashenko and his accomplices in committing crimes against citizens of Belarus and other countries is crucial to achieving justice for the grave and especially grave crimes committed by the regime in Belarus. We have provided evidence and given testimony in all of the aforementioned cases. We will continue to take all possible actions to ensure the legal prosecution of Lukashenko, including through five international mechanisms such as transferring the situation in Belarus to the ICC for consideration of crimes against humanity, as well as for the war crime of illegally transferring Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Belarus, committed by Alexander Lukashenko and his accomplices. I believe that Lukashenko can only come to Poland in handcuffs."