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Photo: NAM Media Theses of the Speech by Pavel Latushka, Delegate of the Coordination Council and Member of the Belarusian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, delivered at a Special Event of the PACE titled “Understanding Transnational Repression: Risks, Patterns and Implications for Europe’s Democratic Space and Its Most Vulnerable Democracies” during the PACE Winter Plenary Session (26–30 January 2026) 29.01.2026 Mr President,  Dear colleagues, I see it as my task today to reveal the circumstances of the extraterritorial persecution of Belarusians, which could be the largest case of transnational repression in Europe. In 2020, following a fraudulent presidential election, Aliaksandr Lukashenko’s regime launched an extensive campaign of internal repression. Its goal, articulated by the dictator himself, was to “cleanse” Belarusian society of all deemed disloyal. For years, these actions went unpunished, leading to tens of thousands of arrests and imprisonments, and ultimately to mass expulsions and further extraterritorial persecution of those the regime considered  “disloyal”. Deportation According to the 2025 report of the United Nations Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus, up to six hundred thousand people have left Belarus since 2020 . This represents six point four percent of the country’s population  at that time. The overwhelming majority of those targeted fled Belarus because of repressive conditions and oppression . The UN Group of Independent Experts confirmed that people left due to a well-founded fear of arbitrary arrest, detention without a fair trial, torture, threats of child removal, and restrictions on the right to work and access to education . Nearly all victims interviewed  reported that they had no genuine choice but to leave . In addition to creating oppressive conditions, the regime actively resorts to direct physical deportations . The expulsion of political prisoners is  a striking example. On the screen, you can see a direct quote from one of the victims. I would like to once again underscore — six point four percent of the population . This is an unimaginable figure , representing an irreparable demographic loss  for our nation. Photo: NAM Media Transnational repression Forced expulsion from Belarus is not the end of the suffering  for those targeted, but rather the beginning of transnational persecution  by the regime. These repressive actions affect everyone who has left Belarus due  to political persecution or the fear of such persecution. Human rights organizations have documented that these abuses intensify every year and now affect almost all those expelled from the country. Notably, already in 2023, Belarusian consulates have stopped issuing and renewing passports, leaving hundreds of thousands of Belarusians at the risk of de facto  statelessness, as well as other important documents, such as a power of attorney required for property transactions. As a result, those targeted are deprived of the ability to travel or obtain the documents necessary for a normal life abroad. Today, we can already speak of dozens of children who were born without the ability to obtain a passport. Additionally, the regime unleashed a campaign of judicial harassment , using trials in absentia against Belarusians abroad to persecute those who speak out against Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s regime. As of December 2025, the authorities have launched hundreds of criminal proceedings against Belarusians in exile, with Human Rights Center Viasna reporting   at least 200 trials conducted in absentia . Such trials are typically conducted in blatant violation of internationally recognized fair trial standards, and with most independent lawyers forced into exile, disbarred, imprisoned or effectively silenced. Almost no one is left to defend those charged on politically motivated grounds. Individuals must always fear that they have been included in the Belarusian wanted list, and consistently face uncertainty and risks of detention or deportation when travelling. The regime does not even shy away from  abusing Interpol’s red notice system to persecute Belarusians on politically motivated grounds. Such procedures often end in draconic sentences of up to 20 years of imprisonment - for simply exercising fundamental human rights, for openly opposing the atrocities committed by the Belarusian regime, and for showing solidarity and support for those persecuted by the regime. In parallel, the authorities do everything they can to intimidate and silence Belarusians abroad - by threatening them and their family members remaining in Belarus, by surveilling them abroad. By creating an atmosphere of fear and distrust in the Belarusian diaspora to discourage Belarusians from speaking up.  Conclusion Transnational repression has become a systematic tool used by authoritarian regimes to pursue their opponents beyond national borders. However, the Lukashenko regime has taken these practices to a scale that meets the definition of persecution as a crime against humanity, over which the International Criminal Court has jurisdiction. Impunity has been one of the key drivers enabling the expansion of these repressive practices. Will justice remain blind and silent?

Illustrative photo Theses of the Speech by Pavel Latushka, Delegate of the Coordination Council and Member of the Belarusian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, at the meeting of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights during the PACE Winter Plenary Session (26–30 January 2026) 28.01.2026 Dear Chair, dear colleagues, Representing the Belarusian democratic forces and speaking on the issue of accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, I consider it my duty to emphasize, each and every time, the necessity of holding the current military and political leadership of the Lukashenko regime accountable. By providing the territory of Belarus for missile and air attacks, as well as for a ground invasion by the Russian army, Aleksandr Lukashenko and other representatives of his regime committed the crime of aggression under international criminal law, including as defined in the Statute of the Special Tribunal. The actions of the military and political leadership of the Lukashenko regime that led to an act of aggression by Belarus against Ukraine must be properly documented. This is precisely the work currently being carried out by the National Anti-Crisis Management, which I have the honor to lead. Holding Aleksandr Lukashenko accountable for the crime of aggression is essential for the restoration of the rights of thousands of Ukrainian civilians who have suffered as a result of missile and air strikes, as well as those forcibly transferred from Ukraine to Belarus and Russia, many of whom remain interned and are subjected to torture to this day. I encourage you not to forget the role of the military and political leadership of Belarus in the aggressive war against Ukraine. P.S. Yesterday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, stated that Lukashenko and his accomplices are responsible for committing the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Illustrative photo Theses of the Speech by Pavel Latushka, Delegate of the Coordination Council and Member of the Belarusian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, at the meeting of the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy during the PACE Winter Plenary Session (26–30 January 2026) 28 January 2026 I fully support the rapporteur’s statement. The Lukashenko regime does not stop the repression. It is the largest repression in Europe in recent decades. The number of political prisoners is about 1,150 people. Every month, around 40 new people become political prisoners. Despite the efforts of the United States to free political prisoners, even more people are recognized as new political prisoners . It looks like a conveyor belt. Just before today’s meeting, the human rights center “Viasna” recognized 8 new Belarusians as political prisoners. In Belarus, more than 2,000 NGOs no longer work. All political parties and independent media have been shut down. The country is under total control. The regime controls all areas of life and society. For us, the attention of PACE to the situation in Belarus is very important. The Lukashenko regime continues to support Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.It also carries out hybrid attacks against Lithuania and Poland. The regime persecutes Belarusians outside the country. According to the UN, at least 800,000 Belarusians have left the country since 2020. I ask my colleagues in PACE to speak about Belarus and not to forget about political prisoners. We hope that the report will be adopted at the spring session of PACE.