The NAM submitted evidence of crimes committed by Lukashenko, Mezentsev, Golovaty, Talai, and Volkova to the ICC
In accordance with Article 15 of the Rome Statute, the ICC Prosecutor has the authority to receive materials from organizations and individuals for investigating crimes within their jurisdiction. On June 27, 2023, in the Hague, the NAM took advantage of this opportunity and provided evidence of war crimes committed by Alexander Lukashenko, Dmitry Mezentsev, Ivan Golovaty, Alexei Talai, and Olga Volkova to the ICC Prosecutor.
According to the materials submitted by the NAM, these individuals were involved in war crimes through the illegal transfer of Ukrainian children from Russian-occupied territories to Belarus and their subsequent re-education.
The NAM has included a video material as evidence, confirming the re-education and ideological manipulation of Ukrainian children in Belarus.
Performance of the Gruzdev sisters, propagandists of the regime, in front of Ukrainian children in the Dubrava camp
The materials presented to the ICC Prosecutor demonstrate that an organized and systematic transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus has taken place since September 2022. The children were relocated from several Russian-occupied Ukrainian towns, including Donetsk, Mariupol, Volnovakha, Yasynuvata, Enakievo, Snezhnoye, Khartsisk, Gorlovka, Makiivka, Kommunarovka, Debaltsevo, Ilovaisk, Anthracite, Rovenki, and Kamianka-Dniprovska. To date, more than 2,100 children have been transferred to Belarus.
The NAM has also identified instances of unsystematic organized transfers of Ukrainian children to Belarus prior to September 2022.
The NAM has uncovered cases where Ukrainian children under the custody of the Ukrainian State, including orphans, children with disabilities, and those whose parents have been deprived of parental rights, were illegally transported to Belarus.
The materials provided to the Prosecutor's Office show that Lukashenko personally signed institutional and administrative documents under the pretext of the "Union State of Belarus and Russia," which facilitated and financed the transfer of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
The children were placed in camps such as Zubrenok, Dubrava, and sanatoriums like Volma, Ostroshitsky Gorodok, and Golden Sands. The Dubrava camp, owned by the Belaruskali company, received the largest number of children. Evidence was presented to the Court, indicating the direct involvement of Golovaty, the head of Belaruskali, in organizing these crimes. Golovaty personally issued written orders determining the fate of these children in Belarus. Evidence of the significant role played by Mezentsev, Talai, and Volkova in these crimes was also presented.
The NAM firmly believes that there are sufficient grounds to conclude that the aforementioned individuals committed war crimes.
However, the NAM emphasizes that the legal assessment of the evidence rests solely within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
We are publishing, for the first time, a document that confirms the State Secretary of the so-called Union State, Mezentsev, personally issued written instructions to facilitate the transfer of Ukrainian children, including orphans, to the territory of Belarus. This document was obtained from a CyberPartisan source within the system.
This document was obtained from a CyberPartisan source within the system
Simultaneously, we are actively preparing the next course of action in the criminal prosecution of Lukashenko for his crimes against peace and the security of humanity. These actions will be announced in the near future.