Belarus: Belarus: Tikhanovskaya calls for charges against Minsk leadership

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On Monday, she called at an international justice conference in the Baltic EU country of Lithuania to explore all options to hold the authoritarian leadership in Minsk accountable for violations of international law. “We must examine the existing mechanisms to bring the dictator and his accomplices to justice,” she said in Vilnius. “Our goal and priority must be to restore justice in Belarus.”

Lukashenko, considered Europe’s last dictator, has ruled Belarus for more than a quarter of a century. The West has not recognized the 68-year-old as head of state since the August 9, 2020 presidential election, which was widely regarded as fraudulent. Mass protests in the ex-Soviet republic after the vote, with many Tikhanovskaya being the real winners, had brutally crushed Lukashenko. Due to massive state repression, there are now almost no large demonstrations.

“The regime sees that the existing mechanisms are not working. This gives him a sense of impunity, and the regime is only stepping up repression,” said Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile in Lithuania. Consideration should therefore be given to bringing those responsible for crimes against humanity and other crimes, including war crimes, to justice. Belarus is politically, economically and militarily heavily dependent on Moscow. Russia also launched its aggressive war against Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

(SDA)

Source: Blick