We call on all actors to unite their efforts to ensure the stable and independent functioning of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Pavel Latushka: Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Representative of the Cabinet for the Transition of Power, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Leader of the "Latushka Team and the Movement 'For Freedom'" faction within the 3rd convocation of the Coordination Council.

"As a member of the Coordination Council of Belarus, I would like to express our strong support for the International Criminal Court. Today, the ICC remains the only effective mechanism capable of investigating crimes committed by the highest political and military leadership of Belarus, in particular against Belarusians and Ukrainians", said Pavel Latushka, head of the Latushka’s Team and Movement "For Freedom" faction and delegate of the Coordination Council to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), during the meeting of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights held within the framework of the PACE Autumn Session.

"In addition to investigating the situation in Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC is currently conducting a preliminary examination of the situation in Belarus. The Coordination Council has adopted a special resolution on the importance of the ICC’s investigation of crimes committed by Lukashenka and his associates and on bringing the responsible persons to justice. In this regard, it is crucial that the Court can exercise its mandate without any interference", emphasized Pavel Latushka.

The rapporteur on threats to the International Criminal Court, Tekke Penman (Netherlands), supported Latushka’s position, noting that it is necessary to prepare a report and strengthen the role of the ICC within the international justice system. Following the Committee meeting, an agreement was reached on cooperation in preparing the report.

On the sidelines of the PACE Autumn Session, Pavel Latushka met with Ivan Račan, a member of the Croatian Parliament and newly appointed rapporteur on the report concerning the situation in Belarus. There was an exchange of views on the situation in Belarus, and the Croatian representative stressed the importance of focusing on mass human rights violations and preparing a corresponding report by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Pavel Latushka also met with Konstantinos Efstathiou, rapporteur on transnational crimes. He informed him that since the beginning of this year, the so-called Investigative Committee of Belarus has initiated at least 970 criminal prosecutions of an extraterritorial nature against Belarusians legally residing in Poland and Lithuania. It was noted that the regime uses non-political criminal charges, such as corruption and others, to persecute its political opponents.

Pavel Latushka stressed that the Belarusian people today are the most exposed to transnational repression among all the peoples of Europe.

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