Pavel Latushka: "We call on our partners to do everything possible to ensure justice"

On September 12, the UN Group of Independent Experts on the human rights situation in Belarus published a working document titled "Bridging the Accountability Gap for Human Rights Violations and Related Crimes in Belarus".

Deputy Head of the Cabinet, Pavel Latushka:

"In the new report, which details mechanisms for holding perpetrators accountable, it is explicitly stated that the priority is the establishment of truth, justice, as well as compensation for victims of human rights violations in Belarus.

It is symbolic that this report was published the day after the entire world could witness the brutal forced removal from the country of 52 political prisoners by Lukashenko. Their stories serve as a vivid testimony of the committed crimes and the necessity to ensure adequate restoration of the victims’ rights.

It is extremely important that the report of the Group of Independent Experts not only confirms the legal conclusions of Belarusian and international organizations, including the People’s Anti-Crisis Management, classifying the actions of the Lukashenko regime authorities as crimes against humanity, but also explicitly names the specific individuals most responsible for these crimes: Aleksander Lukashenko, Nikolai Karpienko, Yuri Karaev.

The report also demonstrates that supporting referral of the Belarusian situation by the Government of Lithuania is not a matter of legal debate, but a moral obligation for countries that stand for the rule of law, the ideals of justice, and the protection of human rights.

We call on our partners to do everything possible to ensure justice through the mechanisms highlighted in the UN Group of Independent Experts’ report".

Canadian representative of the Expert Group, Suzanne Basili:

"The Group has reasonable grounds to believe that Lukashenko developed and implemented a policy aimed at suppressing any form of dissent through the persecution of real or perceived opponents with the aim of retaining power, and participated in crimes against humanity in the form of political persecution and imprisonment, committed in Belarus since May 1, 2020".

The experts emphasized that ensuring justice and accountability at the international level and in third countries are not mutually exclusive options and do not hinder any future judicial proceedings in Belarus.

Monika Płatek, expert of the Group:

"When the day comes after President Aleksander Lukashenko’s rule, strengthening the national judiciary in Belarus will be crucial for restoring Belarusians’ trust in their own national institutions, particularly the judicial system. We call on all relevant stakeholders to treat all these options as complementary and to continue documenting evidence for future accountability processes".

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