Pavel Latushka Discussed Three Directions of Cooperation on Lukashenko Accountability with Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Admin of the NAM
- May 25
- 3 min read
"I thank the Director of the Department of International Law and International Legal Counteraction of Aggression of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anton Korynevych, for a very constructive meeting, for the agreements reached, and for the prospect of cooperation on holding Lukashenko and his accomplices accountable across three directions," — stated Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet, Head of the NAM Pavel Latushka following the meeting at Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, the parties discussed three directions of cooperation on holding Lukashenko and his accomplices accountable for crimes against the Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples.
Pavel Latushka expressed gratitude for the statement by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that Lukashenko will be held accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine within the framework of the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, currently being established. Pavel Latushka also provided information on the collection of evidence of the committed act of aggression, which the NAM is currently engaged in; the parties discussed the mechanisms and recipients for transmitting the relevant materials.
It was agreed that, once these materials have been consolidated, the National Anti-Crisis Management will transmit them to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for subsequent transmission to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, as well as to the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine in The Hague.
It was emphasised that representatives of the democratic forces of Belarus will, during international meetings, lobby for the importance of other states joining the mechanisms underpinning the functioning of the Special Tribunal. The representative of Ukraine's MFA informed that, as of now, 36 states and the European Union have confirmed their participation in its establishment.
The meeting also addressed the possibilities of holding Lukashenko and his accomplices accountable for the unlawful transfer of Ukrainian children and their subsequent indoctrination in the interests of the "Russian World." The Head of the NAM informed the Ukrainian side that Lukashenko continues to commit these crimes. As an example, it was noted that the previous week another arrival of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Vitebsk had been recorded.
Lukashenko has on multiple occasions himself admitted to committing crimes against Ukrainian children. For instance, on 27 June 2023, he stated: "I approached Putin and said: let us allocate a portion of the Union budget for these children. And that is how we started bringing them over."
Pavel Latushka conveyed information indicating that no fewer than 3,500 Ukrainian children from at least 15 cities had been transferred to Belarusian territory. He also noted that, as a result of considerable painstaking work, it had been possible to identify several dozen orphaned children from Ukraine.
In addition, the Deputy Head of the Cabinet requested that the Ukrainian side draw the attention of the International Criminal Court and, in particular, the Office of the Prosecutor, to the importance of investigating the deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus.
During the discussion of the progress of the ICC Prosecutor's investigation into the "Belarusian situation" — relating to the commission of crimes against humanity against the Belarusian people — the representative of Ukraine's MFA extended congratulations in connection with the achievement of such a significant result in the work of the NAM and Belarusian human rights organisations.
Pavel Latushka made a request for the implementation of the procedure under Article 14 of the Rome Statute and the referral to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor of information concerning the situation involving the deportation of part of the civilian population of Belarus to Ukraine. This is connected to the fact that since August 2020, tens of thousands of Belarusians have been compelled to leave Belarus and relocate to that country, where they are subsequently subjected to cross-border persecution. During the meeting, it was noted that citizens of Ukraine are also among the victims of crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenko regime.
The parties agreed to continue substantive engagement across all three directions of holding representatives of the Lukashenko regime to account.
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