A protester injured during demonstrations against the stolen presidential elections, in Minsk, Belarus, 9 August 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE

Lithuania has appealed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate what it called “crimes against humanity” committed by the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, the Lithuanian Justice Ministry announced on Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe that the Belarusian government had committed a litany of crimes against its citizens including deportation, persecution, and “other inhumane acts” since mass protests against the Lukashenko regime in 2020.

“The conduct of the Belarusian regime amounts to a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population, pursuant to a state policy to eliminate all opposition and dissent”, the ministry’s referral argued, stressing that Belarusian citizens were persecuted at the “behest of senior Belarusian political, law enforcement and military officials”.

Lithuanian Justice Minister Ewelina Dobrowolska said Vilnius had appealed to the ICC as it could “no longer sit idly by whilst crimes against humanity continue to be committed on a vast scale in Belarus”, and that it expected an arrest warrant to be issued for Lukashenko.

Prosecutor Karim Khan confirmed on Monday that the ICC would “examine” the referral submitted by Lithuania, which borders Belarus, and determine whether there was a “reasonable basis to proceed with the opening of an investigation”.

The move was welcomed by members of Belarus’s exiled opposition, many of whom are now based in Lithuania, including its leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who hailed the Lithuanian government’s request as a “monumental step towards justice”.

“The crimes committed by this regime, from forced deportations to illegal arrests and torture, cannot go unpunished. Lithuania’s courage gives us hope that the world is finally holding the regime accountable”, Tsikhanouskaya said.

Fearing repercussions, over half a million Belarusians are believed to have fled the country in the aftermath of widespread anti-Lukashenko protests in 2020, some 60,000 of whom currently live in Lithuania.

In 2023, Belarusian embassies stopped renewing passports for its citizens abroad, forcing Belarusians in exile to choose between returning home to face potential political persecution in order to renew their documents, or simply allowing their papers to expire.