A Belarusian Court with a Jury, an International Tribunal or a Referendum — how will the people of Belarus decide on the future fate of Alexander Lukashenko? Article by Pavel Latushka in the column for the MOST "Justice" was fast. An attempt to escape and arrest. A hastily organized tribunal. A two-hour trial on four articles, including "Genocide". And the immediate verdict, no right of appeals. Her last words were "Why? I was your mother." His — couplets of "Internationale" and "I don’t deserve…" - were muffled by a burst of twenty-nine bullets. The quarter-century era of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu’s dictatorship ends around 2:50 p.m. Bucharest time. He said he didn’t deserve it. The people of Romania decided otherwise. And what will the Belarusian people decide? The Lukashenko era in our country is obviously coming to an end, too. What will be its finale? We do not know. Too much trouble was caused by an autocrat who ruled Belarus for 26 years; a dictator who usurped it for two more. Too many destinies were destroyed. Still, Belarusians are a nation of calm and reasonable people — Europeans in the best sense of the word. I hope and am truly convinced: we will all find the strength to carry out justice fairly and in accordance with the law — when the time comes. In three years. In ten. Or tomorrow. How can it be done? Referendum as an expression of the will of the people Sometimes the Belarusians mention this option as, in their opinion, the fairest. Let us note at once: it is illegal. The question of the future fate of the dictator (even if it is the first and, we hope, the last dictator in the country's history) banally does not fall within the competence of the electoral system as a whole and of the Central electoral commission (CEC) in particular. The principle of separation of powers, which is the basis of democracy, is violated: only the judicial power judges, while the CEC treats. Let us note at once: it is illegitimate. The question of the future fate of the dictator (even if it is the first and, we hope, the last dictator in the country's history) banally does not fall within the competence of the electoral system as a whole and the CEC in particular. This violates the principle of separation of powers, which is the basis of democracy: only the judicial authorities judge, while the CEC is more a part of the executive branch. These are fundamentally different "branches" of the state system. In addition, the referendum is legally complicated and requires more than one month of preparation. This is a high burden on the country during the transit period, which will not be easy anyway. All this time it would be necessary to ensure the security of the last dictator of Belarus, as well as to properly formalize his stay in the isolation ward by law (which is extremely difficult, because there are no precedents of such referendums in the world, for the reasons mentioned above). However, even imagining such an option in theory, it is worth noting the image costs of such a decision. Lukashenko does not equal Belarus - we cannot put the dictator above the national legislation, "fitting" the regulations to him. Even by way of exception and even for the sake of justice over him. It is enough that Lukashenko himself "adjusted" the laws of Belarus for almost three decades. Deferred Vengeance - International Tribunal The first thing that comes to mind for most Belarusians when it comes to punishing Lukashenko for his crimes. Is it achievable? It is achievable. But the procedure is bureaucratically very complicated, so it will take a long time before we hear the verdict, if ever. Judging by the experience of tribunals for war criminals of Yugoslavia and Rwanda, who are responsible for mass genocide and ethnic purges, Lukashenko’s sentence can be pronounced in 15−20 years. With all this in mind, the convening of a tribunal is still a realistic prospect. Первое, что приходит в голову большинству беларусов, когда речь заходит о наказании Лукашенко за его преступления. The Court under Universal Jurisdiction The option makes it possible to delegate justice over Lukashenko to a democratic country with a developed judicial and legal system and experience in handling cases of crimes against humanity. As an option, Great Britain. The legal basis for such a process will be the mechanisms of universal jurisdiction, in the competence of which such crimes (and others especially grave and massive) are just that. Such acts have no statute of limitations. The suspect can be detained almost anywhere in the world at the request of Interpol or Europol and put on trial in any of the states, the legal system of which allows organizing the investigation and justice through the mechanisms of universal jurisdiction. This is much faster than a tribunal verdict, but also quite long and bureaucratically complicated, and there is always a risk of accusations against the country organizing the procedure — of its political interest because we have a situation where one state is judging the formal head of another, even if illegitimate. However, even before the trial itself is organized, the mechanisms of universal jurisdiction make it possible to include the alleged offender in the official list of suspects with the blocking of accounts and to declare him internationally wanted. And this is a big plus. The Court in Belarus This, perhaps, is the likely outcome of Lukashenko's fate - the trial of the people, which the dictator has made his hostage. How the trial will proceed depends largely on how the events of the Belarusan revolution develop, which will put an end to the dictator's rule. We will consider the legal scenario - as far as it is possible to arrange it in the transit period, starting from the first days. Here is an approximate algorithm. - Arrest of Alexander Lukashenko and closure of the borders of Belarus. Transferring law enforcers to a special service mode. Detention of regime criminals and bringing charges. - Organization of parliamentary elections - democratic ones for the first time. - The formation of a new Supreme Court through a re-elected parliament. Simultaneously, a lustration commission should be created not as a punitive body but as an instrument for identifying competent and safe officials for the new democratic institutions. - A nationwide dialogue. Debates and a broad public discussion of the future of Belarus, Lukashenko, and the crimes of the Belarusian regime in all information resources of the country. External openness and free accreditation of the foreign press at all stages of the transition period and national dialogue. - Organization of the judicial process. One of its possible models - the trial by jury - for wider civil representation and involvement in the process of Belarusians who are not engaged by the parliament or the Supreme Court. How the judicial process will proceed depends largely on how the events of the Belarusian revolution, which will put an end to the rule of the dictator, will unfold. We will consider the legal scenario - as far as it is possible to organize it in the transit period, starting from the first days. Here is an approximate algorithm Arrest of Alexander Lukashenko and closure of the borders of Belarus. Transferring law enforcers to a special service mode. Detention of regime criminals and bringing charges. Organization of parliamentary elections — democratic ones for the first time. The formation of a new Supreme Court through a re-elected parliament. Simultaneously, a lustration commission should be created not as a punitive body but as an instrument for identifying competent and safe officials for the new democratic institutions. A nationwide dialogue. Debates and a broad public discussion of the future of Belarus, Lukashenko, and the crimes of the Belarusian regime in all information resources of the country. External openness and free accreditation of the foreign press at all stages of the transition period and national dialogue. Organization of the judicial process. One of its possible models — the trial by jury — for wider civil representation and involvement in the process of Belarusians who are not engaged by the parliament or the Supreme Court. At the same time, a hypothetical jury trial of an ex-president accused of both international crimes and crimes against his own people is an unprecedented measure and should be seriously discussed by members of Parliament and lawyers. Regardless of the form in which the process is organized, the legal framework will most likely be the Criminal Code of Belarus in its current version. On its basis, the Supreme Court (with the participation of the jury or otherwise) should decide on the responsibility of Lukashenko for the crimes committed during his presidency and during his unlawful retention of power. If the verdict is indeed rendered according to the laws in force under the autocrat, the likely sentence would be life imprisonment, on the understanding that the transitional government would impose an immediate moratorium on the death penalty from the first days of the transition period. Either way, one conclusion begs to be drawn. The choice of how to objectively assess the deeds and decisions of the first and last dictator of independent Belarus, and their consequences; what fair responsibility a politician will bear for them, must belong to the law and the people - and only them. Moreover, the main condition should be transparency and the absence of doubts about the incorruptibility of the participants in the process. Any violation will give reason to claim reprisal against the dictator and encourage his supporters to revanchism. Lukashenko's trial is not revenge or even the closure of a "political gestalt. It is a complex civic consensus, a nationwide summing up of the most tragic era in modern Belarusian history. It is the first and probably the most important exam that the society of the country that is preparing to become a democracy - in the best sense of the word - should pass with dignity. To unite the Belarusans, not to divide them. Please consider this text as an invitation to discussion and an open discussion on one of the important issues of the transit period in the new Belarus.

Selection and training of Belarusian citizens to participate in the implementation of reforms in key positions in state and local government during the transition period The Lukashenko’s era is slowly coming to an end. The war and geopolitical processes taking place in the region today increase the probability of changes in Belarus earlier than we expected. But are we ready for them? Let us imagine that Lukashenko’s thirty-year autocracy comes to an end quickly or gradually, and Belarus finally takes the path of democracy. There comes a transition period in the formation and reorganization of the institutions of power. Who will work in them? Officials and specialists of the previous regime will be subjected to lustration — competent specialists who have not violated the law and the rights of their fellow citizens will stay on. But many more specialists will be needed. The question is where to find them and how quickly they can be trained, because the acute shortage of qualified personnel will threaten the reforms and democratic changes in the country. Another problem also arises. All these years, especially after 2020, employees in state institutions have been selected on the basis of their loyalty to the regime, not their professionalism. The management of the highest authorities was simply appointed, often without experience, and, for example, the head of a department in one department could become a minister in a completely different one. As a consequence, at all levels of government officials and managers demonstrated incompetence, were afraid to take responsibility and show initiative — the entire system worked ineffectively. In November 2022, the National Anti-Crisis Management team, the United Transitional Cabinet and the For Freedom movement with the support of non-governmental organizations officially announced the launch of a large-scale program "New Personnel of New Belarus". Its goal is to train future civil servants for the country during the first period after the change of power. On the basis of the University of Warsaw, the Vienna Diplomatic Academy and other EU educational institutions future ministers and their deputies, ambassadors and advisors, heads of government departments and local authorities, administrators of municipal transport and municipal departments will be trained. The system of training specialists is built according to the standards of Western countries. As students pass the educational courses and certification, they will be sent for internships in European authorities and public administration, and afterwards they will be included in a unified personnel register. Thus, the value orientations of the educational program are based on three basic principles: independence, Europeanism, and democracy. Any Belarusan adult, irrespective of his or her cooperation with the democratic structures, can apply for this education: students are trained for administrative, not political work. At the same time, adherence to democracy is the main requirement for applicants, along with competence in their field and noninvolvement in the crimes of the regime. All of this, as well as the candidates' wishes and experiences, will be clarified during questionnaires and meetings, and the data of program participants will be stored separately, using encryption and security systems. After the verification procedure, students will be assigned a training and internship scheme and set a deadline. Over the past two years the University of Warsaw alone has trained 45 specialists of the diplomatic corps and the apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. In December, another 15 trainees were enrolled. And this is not the limit. We are just at the start.

The United Transitional Cabinet was happy to hear that Poland will continue to recognize Belarusian student diplomas, despite the cancellation of the Belarusian-Polish agreement by the Lukashenka regime Deputy Head of the Cabinet Pavel Latushka and Cabinet representative for National Revival Alina Koushyk met with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Polish Government for Development and International Relations in the Field of Education and Science Tomasz Żymkowski and the directors of the departments of the Ministry of Education and Science of Poland. "We will continue to recognize Belarusian certificates and diplomas. For us, the agreement continues to apply," Tomasz Zhymkowski stated to the proposal of Cabinet representatives to ignore the decision of the Lukashenka regime to cancel the Belarusian-Polish agreement on mutual recognition of diplomas. Cabinet representatives also discussed the possibility of a joint decision with the Polish authorities, which would make apostilles from the Belarusian authorities unnecessary, and the absence of a CT certificate would not prevent Belarusian applicants from entering Poland if they cannot obtain it due to repression or other valid reasons. It was agreed that with the positive decision of the Polish authorities, the representatives of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Poland will jointly develop relevant steps in this matter. The issue of repressed students of Belarusian colleges was discussed. The representatives of the Cabinet agreed that they will develop a procedure by which the repressed Belarusian students will be able to show their status of unfinished Belarusian secondary education, which will give them the opportunity to continue their studies in Poland. The creation of a network of Saturday schools for the study of the Belarusian language, literature and history with the possibility of issuing diplomas based on the model approved by the United Transitional Cabinet was also discussed. The Polish side has expressed interest in hiring Belarusian teachers after their diplomas have been certified. In order to achieve practical results in the specified areas of joint activity, it has been agreed that a working group will be created based on the example of the cooperation of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Poland.

Theses of the speech of the Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Mr. Pavel Latushka at the screening of the film "Belarus in Progress" dedicated to the mass violence against citizens of Belarus and the problem of universal jurisdiction in the EU countries Free Belarus Museum 15 December 2022 What image comes to your mind when you hear the word Belarus? I don’t want to be a prisoner of stereotypes, but I always imagined a kind young girl with blond hair in a national costume. She lives in the same house as you. Some are neighbours in the stairwell and some on different floors, but everyone knows that she and her children have been abused and tortured every day for 2.5 years. Yes, the neighbours expressed sympathy and concern and helped her in any way they could. But after she got help, she was subjected to more beatings. And when the abuser realised that he could continue to do whatever he wanted to her, even worse things happened. Another image of a beautiful girl, but already in a different national costume simply wanted to kill and almost did. Here I am talking about Ukraine. I am convinced that the war in Ukraine would not have been possible if the Lukashenko regime had not held out. By turning a blind eye to a little violence, by pretending that we do not hear the cries of pain of those suffering — even more and terrible violence and injustice becomes possible. I am making this parallel for a reason. You can name the number of political prisoners, the numbers that have gone through prisons and detention, torture and humiliation, but this is the data we pass on in all the meetings we have with European politicians and diplomats. But when these numbers are on paper they look like statistics. But a person’s life is not a statistical error. Everyone who has survived torture, humiliation and violence has been traumatised for life. But the victims do not want revenge. Here in Europe, they want those values, on the basis of which European civilization emerged — humanism, law, they just want to be fulfilled. Not in words, but in actions. Believe me, the film crew has not set itself the task of horrifying you once again with the atrocities of the regime’s henchmen, which they committed in August 1920 and are still committing today. It is at this very moment in Belarus that someone is detained, arrested, imprisoned, beaten or held in a torture chamber. This film is the story of three victims who suffered torture, are forced to rebuild their lives abroad, but continue to live and fight for justice and fairness through the mechanisms of universal jurisdiction. Imagine what these people have been through. 40 people in four-bed cells measuring eight square metres. Sleeping, or rather just passing out — lying flat on the floor, on a table, on metal bunks without a mattress. Two litres of water for everyone. No food. And pain, pain and more pain. Physical and moral. Those people who have survived this pain want only one thing — punishment for those responsible. And if to put it simply — justice. In our native Belarus it was destroyed, just like the civil society. By the decision of the dictator and his henchmen. But the Belarusians believe that justice still remains here — in Europe. I have no doubt that those who came to the screening today understand the importance of justice for us. Each of you is able to convey to your capitals (and here I am addressing the representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps) the message that torture cases must be dealt with qualitatively and fully, without formalism, within the instrument of universal jurisdiction and to declare suspects wanted based on the UN Convention against Torture and national legislation. To publish the names is the first step towards justice. It is up to you to do it. This tool is no longer in our hands, but in yours. Today, Europe, together with the Belarusan people, is being tested: we are being tested for our ability to achieve democratic changes despite the mass terror and violence against our people, while Europe is being tested for its ability to use law, its national instruments to show Belarusians that European values do not exist only on paper. And these are not inflated expectations of us. Inform your justice ministers and procurators general. I understand that Belarusians are not citizens of your countries, but Belarusians are Europeans, just like you. Small, but essential additions: — In the nearest future hundreds of Belarusians living abroad will be sentenced to years of imprisonment in absentia, and afterwards (the law has been already adopted) they will be deprived of their citizenship. This practice has already been used in history during the Nazi Germany. In 2023, there could be thousands of stateless persons illegally deprived of their citizenship by an illegitimate, non-recognised by the EU and the Belarusian people regime. Friends, on the eve of the good cheerful holidays, I ask you to help a small miracle to happen. In such hard and dark times, it will give hope to that girl I was talking about at the beginning, that the pain and fear will end, and she will never have to suffer again. Free, independent and happy. Belarus deserves that.

Press release of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus of December 2, 2022 As the Italian jurist Cesare Beccaria wrote: "The inevitability of punishment, even moderate, always produces a stronger impression than the fear of being subjected to the most severe punishment if there is the hope of impunity”. That is why the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus aims to take all necessary and possible legal measures to ensure unavoidable and fair punishment for perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and acts of international terrorism. In this way, we will put legal pressure on the Lukashenko regime, which, in our opinion, will contribute: Rejection of the individuals concerned for various reasons from further criminal activities, including on the border with the European Union. Reduction of politically motivated repressions against citizens of Belarus and, possibly, a certain split in the ranks of the so-called siloviki. Sabotage of criminal orders for direct participation of the Belarusian military in combat actions on the territory of Ukraine. As of December 2022, more than 10 applications from at least 50 people in four countries have been filed to prosecute specific rank-and-file perpetrators of violence and torture, as well as their leaders. Files are being prepared in two more countries. Based on the analysis of the problematic aspects of the application of universal jurisdiction mechanisms, the Cabinet has already sent proposals to a number of countries (the Czech Republic and Poland) for the authorized bodies (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Parliament) to provide clarifications on how investigators and other bodies should take into account in their activities the specifics of the crisis in Belarus (for example, not to apply certain legal provisions obliging to interact with representatives of the Lukashenko regime). Amendments to the national legislation were suggested as the best solution. Measures will be taken to conclude agreements between the United Transition Cabinet of Belarus and a number of countries (primarily Poland and Lithuania) on mutual legal assistance. This will give state agencies a legal opportunity to provide the Cabinet with basic information on relevant cases. Besides, such agreements can be extended to the sphere of protection of rights of refugees and other citizens of Belarus abroad (settlement of visa issues, etc.). At the moment, applications are being prepared to declare suspects wanted (previously it was impossible due to the failure to pass certain procedural steps). This step is our main intermediate goal. Creation of a joint investigation team with Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic and Ukraine to investigate crimes of torture and violence against citizens of Belarus starting from 2020 has been found expedient. The Cabinet is forming a working group of representatives of democratic structures, human rights defenders, lawyers, the main purpose of which will be to develop a strategy for further work towards universal jurisdiction. We need the support of every lawyer, human rights activist, politician, journalist and every Belarusian who believes in the ideals of justice, fairness and inevitability of punishment.

Press release of the United Transitional Cabinet 2 December 2022 Since August 2020, Alexander Lukashenko and representatives of his regime have committed a huge number of crimes at national and international levels. These crimes include gross violation of international human rights against citizens of Belarus and foreign residents, crimes against humanity, aircraft hijacking, migrant hybrid war, and complicity in Putin’s military aggression against Ukraine. It should be noted that these crimes still go unpunished. Thus, Alexander Lukashenko actually seized power, having committed "election fraud", his regime carried out the destruction of civil society by means of illegal detentions and illegal sentencing for anti-electoral views, and this has been accompanied by endless inhuman torture. More than 60,000 people have gone through mass arrests in Belarus, more than 40,000 of them have been tortured, 1,446 political prisoners are held in prisons, at least 4,691 criminal cases on political grounds have been opened, and 1,469 people have been recognized as extremists. 11 people — railway guerrillas who conducted actions to stop the supply of weapons to the Russian army during the attack on Ukraine from the territory of Belarus are recognized as terrorists by the Lukashenko regime. On 23 May 2021, the Lukashenko regime forcibly landed Ryanair flight 4978, carrying over 100 passengers on the Athens-Vilnius route in Minsk in response to an alleged bomb threat on board the aircraft. The ICAO investigation found that the Lukashenko regime fabricated the threat to arrest a Belarusian journalist and political activist wanted by the Belarusian government. This act of air piracy is one more crime of terrorism committed by Lukashenko, that should lead him to international criminal responsibility. Moreover, following the Russian-Belarusian military exercise "Union Resolve 2022", which took place in Belarus from 10 to 20 February, the Lukashenko regime has been supporting and financing the Russian Federation, a state recognized as a terroristic. The apogee of the situation was the Lukashenko regime’s complicity in the war against Ukraine by providing Belarusian territory to Russian troops to attack northern part of Ukraine, providing various types of support to the Russian army — from medical assistance and equipment maintenance to supplying the Russian army with the weapons, as well as deployment of missile systems and provision of Belarusian airfields for fighter flights for air attacks on Ukraine. The aforementioned crimes by the regime constitute terrorism, as under national and international law terrorism includes criminal acts against the civilian population committed with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury with the purpose of causing a state of terror in the population, intimidating the population or compelling a government or international organizations to commit or refrain from committing an act. Moreover, the criminal acts of the Lukashenko regime correspond to five of the eleven types of state terrorism enshrined in the Geneva Declaration on Terrorism. It is clear that the actions of the illegitimate Lukashenko regime — massive and systematic human rights violations, torture and extrajudicial reprisals to intimidate the population of Belarus after the rigged presidential election, the false bomb threat to hijack a plane, complicity in the crime of aggression against Ukraine — provide ample grounds to qualify these facts as terrorist activities. The United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus team has already prepared and submitted the factual and legal basis for the international recognition of the Lukashenko regime as state terrorism and is working with democratic countries, primarily with the EU, the US, Canada and the UK at the diplomatic level to agree on the necessary mechanism for such recognition. Political decisions of the democratic countries to recognize the Lukashenko regime as state terrorism will play a very important role in isolating the Lukashenko regime internationally, cutting off its funding from foreign sources, and creating the preconditions for launching an independent international investigation into the crimes committed, and supporting and strengthening the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Belarus.

Pavel Latushka about Siarhei Aleinik Describing Siarhei Aleinik, we have to say that two months ago we were informed by our sources in the Foreign Ministry and Lukashenka’s entourage that Aleinik was considered for the position of the Minister of Foreign Affairs instead of Makei. All the necessary checks were started with regard to him. Makei was also aware of this — this must be taken into account. Aleinik was a close friend of Makei, together with his wife they were witnesses at the wedding of Vladimir Makei and Vera Polakova-Makei. Recently, there seems to have been a rift in their friendship, which can be linked to the fact that Makei became aware that Aleinik was preparing to replace him as Minister of Foreign Affairs. I know Sergei Aleinik from his work in the position of the head of the State Protocol Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. The State Protocol Service provides all official and unofficial visits of Lukashenko outside the country. He also ensures all the protocol events involving the dictator inside the country. Thus, at that time Aleinik received a certain degree of trust and communication with Lukashenko. One should understand that the dictator does not appoint people to such positions if he does not thoroughly study them or if he has the slightest distrust of the person. Sergei Aleinik also worked as Belarus' post-ambassador to Geneva and simultaneously as the ambassador of Belarus to the Vatican and the Order of Malta. It is Aleinik who is behind the negotiations with the Vatican about the current situation in Belarus. Above all, he is consulted by the ambassadors of Western countries who have remained in Belarus. So his role in communication with the Vatican may be of some interest to Lukashenka. Aleinik has travelled to Switzerland three times recently for contacts with a Swiss firm that deals with conflict resolution in various parts of the world, including the conflict resolution of the Crimea annexation, which demonstrates its relative "effectiveness". Representatives of this firm came to meet with Makei and the Lukashenko administration. Aleinik is behind all these negotiations. During his 6 years of work as Ambassador in the United Kingdom Aleinik has built up quite wide connections within the British elite, which in theory could also be used by the regime to its advantage. Aleinik has also recently been in communication with some European Commission officials. Aleinik is a rather verbose person, very difficult to convey the essence of the issues, loyal to the system and personally to Lukashenko completely, for whom the national identity, the Belarusian language and culture are not on his personal agenda, but he is also someone who tends to establish communications with the West. Therefore, the main two reasons why Lukashenko made this decision are: personal credibility; the existence of the necessary connections. This appointment may indicate Lukashenko’s desire to reduce Russian influence and increase communication with the West. However, I believe that neither Lukashenko’s soldier Aleinik nor the dictator himself have anything substantial to offer the West today.

The deputy head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus Pavel Latushka held a meeting with the head of the lower house of the Czech Parliament, Markéta Adamová, in Prague. Earlier at the meeting between Pavel Latushka and Markéta Adamová in Warsaw it was agreed to hold a special discussion on Belarus in the Czech Parliament. The head of the Czech Parliament personally took the patronage over the event. During the conversation the Speaker of the Parliament informed about the implementation of the agreements, reached during the first meeting in Warsaw. Marketa Adamova said she proposed to send a letter, signed on her initiative by women leaders of the parliaments of Cyprus, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Belgium, calling for the release of Daria Losik. She promised to continue supporting all possible steps for the release of political prisoners. The Czech president signed the Czech "Magnitsky Act", which allows the Czech government at the national level to apply national sanctions against Lukashenko's regime for repression of Belarusians and complicity in aggression against Ukraine. Pavel Latushka submitted to the speaker of the parliament proposals to impose national sanctions against several hundred representatives of Lukashenko's regime: judges, officials, propagandists, parliamentarians, who should be responsible for repressions against Belarusians, who should be banned entry to the Czech Republic and the European Union. The head of the parliament reported that she had a special meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, where they discussed further steps to support the Belarusian society in this difficult period. Among such steps will be carefully considered a proposal to recognize the KGB and the Main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and Corruption Interior Ministry in the Czech Republic as terrorist organizations, as well as the possibility of using the instruments of universal criminal jurisdiction at the government level will be discussed. Pavel Latushka gave as an example the resolution of the Seimas of Lithuania on human rights in Belarus, which contains the already mentioned theses. “Czech parliamentarians in the Committee on Foreign Affairs will discuss the possibility of adopting a special resolution at the level of the Czech parliament," promises Marketa Adamova. Particular attention was paid to the discussion of the Lukashenko regime's complicity in Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the application of international instruments of responsibility to the regime for crimes against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. After the meeting, the head of the parliament organized a discussion of the problems of Belarus in the Czech Parliament, which was agreed during the meeting of Pavel Latushka and Marka Adamova in Warsaw. Ambassadors and diplomats of Ukraine, the European Union and other countries of the world, Czech parliamentarians and parliamentary staff, as well as representatives of mass media and the public were present and took part in the discussion. Pavel Latushko emphasized the importance of the Czech Republic becoming one of Europe's leaders in supporting Belarusian society in building a democratic state. Pavel Latushka also gave an interview to the central Czech media, emphasizing the importance of separating Lukashenko's regime from Belarusian society and not forgetting the dramatic situation in Belarus.

The Deputy Head of the NAM Vladzimir Astapenka about the Transition Cabinet and Office in Brussels What do you do in the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus? I deal with the issues related to setting priorities and plan of actions of the Cabinet. It is very difficult to briefly describe all the large amount of work that we have to do today, but at the heart of this work is the main thesis: to create all necessary conditions for protection of sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Belarus. We note that Belarus is in fact occupied by Russian troops. We see how the illegitimate Lukashenko’s regime is losing its sovereignty in various spheres, from military and political to economic and any other issues. Therefore, the task of ensuring the independence and sovereignty of Belarus is the main task in the foreign policy agenda of the Cabinet, which we deal with during our meetings with international partners, speaking at international conferences, maintaining contacts with high-level politicians in all European countries. It is very important to note that we have their understanding and readiness to assist us in this work, and we are confident that with this support of our international partners we will be able to meet this challenge. When will the representation office of democratic Belarus in Brussels be open for Belarusians? I am pleased to announce that the Mission for a Democratic Belarus in Brussels is opening its doors to Belarusians. We have already scheduled a number of informational and analytical activities on topical issues of Belarus for December. I invite everyone to join them. The mission in Brussels is open to all Belarusians, and we hope that this point on the map of Europe will become another place for promotion of Belarusian national interests.

Press release of the United Transitional Cabinet 2 December 2022 Since June 2020, the "state security structures" of the KGB and Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, which are fully controlled by Lukashenka, have committed a number of terrorist crimes at national and international levels. These crimes include massive human rights violations against both Belarusian and foreign nationals, crimes against humanity, the hijacking of the Ryanair plane, and the use of foreign nationals in the hybrid migration war unleashed by the Lukashenko regime on the borders of Belarus and the EU. However, the recent European Parliament Resolution on Belarus of 23 November 2022, in which the EU calls on the Lukashenko’s regime to end the persecution, torture and ill-treatment of the people of Belarus, including violence against women and vulnerable groups and enforced disappearances, Lukashenko’s subordinate structures, with particular zeal, continue to commit these crimes in Belarus at the moment. The crimes committed by these organizations are documented in: OSCE report within the Moscow Mechanism on human rights violations in connection with the presidential elections of 9 August 2020 in Belarus; Reports of the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, Reports of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna"; Reports of Belarusian human rights organizations on the human rights situation in the post-election period, published by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. The determination of acts by their nature or context as terrorism is found in a number of international legal instruments and the legal regulation of these offences is found in at least five international conventions. For example, Directive 2017/541 of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism supports UN Security Council Resolution 1566 (2004) of 8 October 2004 and sets that terrorist offences include "attacks on human life likely to result in death" or "on the physical integrity of a person" intended to "seriously intimidate the population" or "seriously destabilise or destroy the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country". Furthermore, the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS 196) states that terrorist crimes and crimes against humanity, by whomever committed, can in no circumstances be justified by considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other similar nature. In the cases when these crimes cannot be prevented, members of the Council of Europe undertake to prosecute and ensure that such crimes are punishable by penalties which consider their grave nature. The evidence gathered and the international legal framework fully give democratic states the right to recognise these organizations as terrorist. The United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus team prepared and sent to the ministries of justice and parliaments of democratic countries a detailed legal reasoning containing more than 50 facts of terrorist crimes committed by KGB and Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption over the last 2 years which fully allows these countries to decide on recognition of KGB and Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption as terrorist organizations both on the local and international levels. What awaits the members of the KGB and Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption after being recognized as terrorist organizations? What awaits the members of the KGB and Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption after being recognized as terrorist organizations? Each of the members of these "groups" will face criminal prosecution for their terrorist activities by democratic states, and there are at least 166 out of 197. In each of these countries, they will face arrest and prison terms of at least 10 years and up to life imprisonment. And they will not be able to keep the money they received from the regime — for these offences, the accompanying punishment is confiscation. Our team will continue to work to expand the list of countries expressing readiness to recognise these organizations as terrorists, taking into account their particularities of national procedures, and to prepare a factual basis for recognising other organizations of the Lukashenko regime as terrorist.

Tribunal for Lukashenko, recognition of the Cabinet, occupation of Belarus, sanctions What is the value of this document? 1) The resolution welcomes the establishment of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, the first documented international recognition of the Cabinet at this level. The goal is to extend this recognition to the executive branch and transform it into recognition of the Cabinet as the transitional government of New Belarus. 2) The European Parliament notes that "Lukashenko and those associated with him are equally responsible for war crimes in Ukraine and should be held accountable before an international tribunal and the International Criminal Court”. To citizen Lukashenko and his accomplices — a big hello from the future tribunal. You will not escape responsibility. 3) We achieved support for our position on the need to recognize Belarus as an occupied territory (point 10 of the Resolution). The European Parliament will also join the demand for immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Belarus and Ukraine. Official recognition of the fact of occupation creates grounds for official recognition of the Cabinet, for de-occupation of Belarus and legal status for all participants of the national liberation movement. 4) The European Parliament called on the EU Council and the European Commission to prevent sanctions evasion and to mirror the sanctions imposed on Russia to the Lukashenko regime — and to apply this approach in future rounds of sanctions. This is the approach we have been seeking since the beginning of the war. The task is to achieve appropriate sanctions decisions in practice. The European Parliament also calls to finalize the legal regime for confiscating assets frozen by the EU, including those of Lukashenko, his family and inner circle. And to direct these resources to support victims of repression and support of the democratic forces. The adoption of the Resolution is the result of the work of the democratic forces and the United Cabinet over the past months. The result is the synchronization of the strategy of the democratic forces and our partners in pressuring the regime. Behind it are hundreds of meetings and letters, analyses and other documents handed over to our partners. Yes, this is an interim result. But the way forward is open. And so it is time to act!

Press release up to one hundred days of the United Transitional Cabinet One hundred days following its establishment, the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus releases a report on its track record and upcoming plans concerning goals formulated in its early days. Why was the United Transitional Cabinet established? Given the unprecedented brutality of the regime against the Belarusian people and the emergence of a new threat to the independence of the Belarusian state, the democratic forces of Belarus decided to establish a fundamentally new political institution, the United Transitional Cabinet, which aims to unite the democratic forces of Belarus for an adequate response to the major challenges of the time. The Cabinet focuses on two primary tasks: restoring justice in the Republic of Belarus and protecting its independence. To achieve them, on the first day after the Cabinet was created, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Head of the Cabinet, appointed Aliaksandr Azarau as Representative for the Restoration of Law and Order and Valery Sakhaschyk as Representative for Defense and National Security. The security bloc in the political structure qualitatively distinguishes the activities of the Cabinet from the previous activities of the democratic forces of Belarus. With the establishment of the Cabinet, its potential is strengthened by the specialists in international relations — Representative for Foreign Affairs Valery Kavaleuski, Representative for the Transit of Power Pavel Latushka, Deputy Representative for Foreign Affairs Vladzimir Astapenka. This is the first time Belarusian democratic forces had the opportunity to establish military and political cooperation with international partners. When referring to the security bloc formed within the Cabinet, it is implied that all resources of democratic forces are pooled, enhanced, and strengthened by improved logistical support, as well an internally sourced training system is created for those engaged in restoring justice in Belarus and protecting its independence (groups for holding special operations, a system of notification, management and coordination, medical support for planned actions, etc.). Defense of independence and restoration of legitimacy Since it is the security bloc that currently poses the greatest threat to the existence of the regime, over its early period, the Cabinet and its representatives have faced unprecedented pressure and a defamation campaign. A defamation campaign was why the Cabinet lost its Representative for Finance and Economy, Tatsiana Zaretskaya, who was supposed to ensure continuous financing of the Cabinet and its security bloc. Despite this, thanks to the competence of the security bloc’s representatives, progress has been achieved in this field: Relations in the field of military-political cooperation with key international partners have been built. A training system for those engaged in restoring legality in Belarus and protecting its independence has been built and is functioning. The procedure for verifying its participants has been adjusted. Consolidation and training of participants is conducted in units, voluntary associations of Belarusians who undergo physical and intellectual exercise, and medical training to participate in activities to protect the independence of Belarus and restore justice on its territory. New promising measures have been taken to establish a logistical support system for the activities of Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine and regular training sessions of the units. Some of the training activities carried out as part of the security bloc’s activities have been covered in the media: report 1, report 2 (both in Belarusian). Information about other activities, both implemented and planned as part of the security bloc’s activities, is not subject to disclosure due to the safety of the participants of these events and the specifics of their tasks. Taking into account the high risks associated with the activities of the security bloc, the Cabinet reserves the right to abstain from disclosing detailed information about it. International pressure on the regime and new opportunities for democratic forces The development of the security bloc is largely determined by its international relations. In this direction, the Cabinet’s primary task is to obtain agreement with the Cabinet’s activity strategy and support for it from critical international partners: the EU, the US, the UK, and Ukraine. To fulfill this task, the democratic forces have deployed its significant resources, experts in international relations, and authoritative representatives of Belarus in international politics: Head of the Cabinet, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, at key international forums and during high-level official meetings, informs representatives of foreign countries about the establishment of the Cabinet and its primary goals and calls on the governments of democratic countries to cooperate with the Cabinet. The Mission for Democratic Belarus has been launched in Brussels, headed by Deputy Representative for Foreign Affairs Uladzimir Astapenka and the Office of the Democratic Forces of Belarus in Prague. Similar missions are expected to open in other countries. Work in this direction had commenced before the actual establishment of the Cabinet. Cabinet Representative for Foreign Affairs Valery Kavaleuski and the group on international relations of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office ensured it brought results. Deputy Head of the Cabinet Pavel Latushka, who has the extensive diplomatic experience, Representative for Foreign Affairs Valery Kavaleuski, and his Deputy Uladzimir Astapenka held several official meetings, made several foreign visits, took part in major international and national political forums of democratic states to inform the authorities of democratic countries and international partners about the establishment and goals of the Cabinet and gather support for its activities. Establishing official ties with Ukraine authorities has been a priority task. The Cabinet recognizes its territorial integrity unconditionally and expresses support for its resistance to Russian aggression. To fulfill this task, Cabinet Representative for Foreign Affairs Valery Kavaleuski has made working trips to Ukraine and held several official meetings, many of which were confidential as the potential military threat from the territory of Belarus complicates the development of Ukraine’s relations with democratic Belarus. A working trip has been made with Representative for National Revival Alina Koushyk. Joint efforts enabled high-level contacts with Ukraine and agreements on future cooperation with major state and public institutions. But the most significant advance is that the Ukrainian side has recognized the importance of democratic changes in Belarus for its security and expressed interest in developing military and political relations with the democratic forces of Belarus. For this reason, the Cabinet considers this activity field promising and intends to continue working on it. The international direction of the Cabinet’s work is essential not only for legitimizing the Cabinet itself or obtaining international support for its activities. As one of the initial goals of the Cabinet, restoration of justice is impossible without the international community involved in bringing justice, based on international law, to those responsible for repression against the Belarusian people. To this end, Representative for the Transit of Power Pavel Latushka and his team have continued the work to intensify international universal jurisdiction investigations of crimes committed by the Belarusian security forces. For instance, on October 24, an international conference on mechanisms of universal jurisdiction in European countries was organized in Warsaw. Cabinet Representative for the Restoration of Law and Order Aliaksandr Azarau joined the conference, which summarized the two-year experience of democratic forces in this direction; determined the weak points in the system of investigations and inquiries conducted in Poland, Lithuania, Germany, and the Czech Republic; and set the priorities for the near future. The Cabinet opposes the lynching of criminals but supports consistently bringing them to justice under international law. Cabinet Representative for the Restoration of Law and Order Aliaksandr Azarau and ByPol has been making a significant contribution to future justice by gathering information about those responsible for repressions, legally defining their crimes, and publishing their investigations. It shall be noted that the Representative for the Restoration of Law and Order has been cooperating with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in gathering evidence of the regime’s crimes. Also, Cabinet Representative Aliaksandr Azarau and his team have been involved in gathering evidence within the framework of the criminal case for the organization of illegal migration by the Lukashenka regime. The collected information has been submitted to Lithuanian investigators. The aforenamed initiatives have pooled their efforts and resources under the auspices of the Cabinet to facilitate closer cooperation in the new format and ensure noticeable results in the field of international justice: completion of investigations, determination of the degree of guilt of the accused, passing of court sentences, and implementation of legal punishments. Taking into account the inertia of the European legal structures in this case, the team of Representative for the Transit of Power Pavel Latushka intends to establish a permanent working group to coordinate the efforts of various initiatives in this area. The group will continue assisting Belarusians submitting applications under universal jurisdiction, which will help to build up a critical number of such applications to obtain the long-awaited results. The Cabinet intends to develop tools to enable civil society to influence the terms of conducting investigations by the prosecutor’s offices of the EU countries. Sanction pressure on the regime remains an integral part of the Cabinet’s international work: Deputy Head of the Cabinet Pavel Latushka continues his work to promote eliminating loopholes in existing sanctions. Also, Mr. Latushka’s team, together with civil initiatives, has prepared and handed the relevant structures the information necessary for personal sanctions against the regime’s propagandists, judges, and sports officials involved in the repression of Belarusians for their political views and anti-war activities. Expanding individual sanctions is needed for further international isolation of the regime and its representatives. Preparation of the transit period The Cabinet needs to provide a clear image of what will happen after the regime’s dismantling and how the cabinet will prevent chaos, lawlessness, and economic crisis, which, as is known from historical experience, often accompany democratic changes. The systematic efforts the Cabinet and the strategic group of experts created to assist the Cabinet in developing the transit plan have been answering these questions. The group of experts has identified numerous challenges related to procedures for changing the political system, constitutional reform, and other issues. The response must be formulated in joint efforts with the civil society of Belarus. Over the past period, the team of Pavel Latushka, with the active involvement of his Deputy Yury Hubarevich, has organized and launched the Personnel Reserve for new Belarus campaign, which provides for the selection and high-quality training of managerial personnel for central and local authorities for the new Belarus. As part of the campaign, a plan has been developed to replace those state apparatus employees with high-level specialists who are unqualified or have committed crimes when working for the regime. To recruit participants in the Personnel Reserve, an online platform has been created for Belarusians' application to join it. The developers have created a security system for protecting applicants' data. All these efforts will allow the democratic forces to enter the transition period with new human resources capable of ensuring the functioning of state institutions and initiating key reforms based on the international financial support for the new Belarus that the democratic forces have gained. National revival of Belarus The critical goals of the Cabinet are impossible without strengthening the national identity of Belarusians, forming a positive image of Belarus in the international arena through culture, and opposing the deadly propaganda of the "Russkiy mir" (Russian world) ideas. To tackle these issues, two months ago, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appointed Alina Koushyk as Representative for National Revival. Over her period in office, Alina Koushyk has established working relations with major Belarusian independent cultural initiatives and the expert community in the field of culture and education, both outside and inside Belarus. Establishing contacts at the level of state ministries with crucial partners of Belarus is essential for fulfilling the set tasks. The key partners so far include the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania as culturally and mentally close to Belarus and have formed their own national identity while resisting the aggressive influence of neighboring countries. As part of the activities to develop a national identity, a census of cultural initiatives was carried out by the Representative for National Revival. The information was passed to the developers of Digital Belarus, which intends to use modern technologies to optimize cooperation in culture and cultural processes. Alina Koushyk has contributed to the legitimization of the Cabinet by establishing relations with the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic (Rada BNR), whose heraldic commission will cooperate with the Cabinet in the creation of symbols and awards of the new Belarus. In constant contact, the Rada BNR members and Cabinet representatives have found a common approach to the historical perspective of Belarus. After democratic reforms and liberation from occupation, Belarus should become the successor of the historical tradition of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. In conclusion, it shall be noted that the Cabinet was formed in exceptional historical circumstances. It is not a typical government that, after being appointed, starts to perform its function. The Cabinet does not have a branched state apparatus and cannot tap into dedicated funds from the national budget. In current conditions, the Cabinet needs to obtain resources for its full functioning, which is also part of its work. As the Cabinet was created at the request of the Belarusian society to unite democratic forces and form a security component, the Cabinet may only achieve its global goals when the Belarusian society, democratic forces, business, and the entire civil society are actively involved. Only the pooling of efforts and resources, mutual search for agreement and overcoming misunderstandings, and joint efforts on defined priorities may produce the final and long-awaited result: the liberation of Belarus from the regime and occupation forces, restoration of legality, and economic well-being of citizens. Restoration of independence and liberation of Belarus is the duty and task of every citizen of the country. The Cabinet continues to work on this objective, relying on the Belarusian people and considering their expectations. The Cabinet is sincerely grateful to all activists, civil society, independent media, and teams of representatives who have joined this cause and continue our common struggle for change. Over the next six months, the Cabinet intends to: Continue work on legitimizing the Cabinet in the international political arena. Further consolidate the democratic forces of Belarus, establish cooperation with groups of Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine, and attract new specialists to work in the Cabinet. Increase the security bloc’s potential so that it can fully perform its key tasks. Continue sanctions pressure on the regime and its representatives. Finalize the action plan for the transit period. Further accumulate international support for Belarus using new opportunities: representation in the Council of Europe and offices of the democratic forces in EU countries and Ukraine. Establish stable working relations with the state authorities of Ukraine for joint resistance to Russian aggression and the de-occupation of Belarus. Activate criminal investigations within the framework of universal jurisdiction. Appoint a Representative on Finance and Economy and a Representative on Social Issues. Search for sources of sustainable financing for the Cabinet’s activities.