Lithuania Files A Lawsuit Against Lukashenko's Regime In The Hague
- 19.05.2025, 14:24
Because of the induced migration crisis.
Lithuania has sued Belarus at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing Alexander Lukashenko's regime of organizing the migration crisis, violating the norms of international law. This is reported by LRT with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.
The Foreign Ministry reports that the case concerns the violation of the states' obligations under the UN Protocol against the smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air.
"Since 2021, Lithuania has been facing an unprecedented increase in the flow of illegal migrants from Belarus. The evidence collected by the Lithuanian agencies confirms the direct involvement of the Belarusian regime in the organization of migrant flows," reads the Foreign Ministry.
The participation of Minsk is evidenced by the fact that Belarusian state enterprises have increased the number of flights from the Middle East and other regions, organized the issuance of visas and accommodation of arriving migrants.
In addition, upon arrival in Belarus, many migrants were escorted to the Lithuanian border by Belarusian security forces and forced to cross the border illegally - often in dangerous and life-threatening conditions.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the border services of Belarus, despite repeated requests for cooperation, refused to cooperate with Lithuanian agencies in order to stop illegal border crossings.
"Lithuania considers these actions as a deliberate attempt of the Belarusian regime to use migration as a means of political pressure on Lithuania and the European Union - in response to their support for Belarusian democracy and sanctions for human rights violations," the report emphasizes.
According to the Foreign Ministry, despite intensive bilateral negotiations, the dispute over violations of the Protocol has not been resolved, so Lithuania appealed to the International Court of Justice on Monday, demanding that Belarus be held accountable in accordance with international law The same persons are trying to cross the border illegally repeatedly.
Last year Lithuania was the first country to ask the International Criminal Court to launch an investigation into crimes against humanity committed by Lukashenko's regime: forced deportation and persecution of individuals, as well as other cruel treatment contrary to the fundamental norms of international law.
A Council of Europe information center for Belarusian citizens will soon open in Vilnius.