Lithuania to investigate Belarus' involvement in illegal transfer of Ukrainian children
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister has sent a letter to the country's Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė, conveying information from the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, regarding the possible illegal transfer of Ukrainian children to the territory of Belarus and the involvement of Belarusian authorities in this crime.
Source: The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its official website on 9 June, as reported by European Pravda
Quote: "The illegal deportation or displacement of civilians are actions that are classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes and are punishable under both the criminal law of the Republic of Lithuania and international law," wrote Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in a letter.
Details: He stressed that when investigating war crimes in Ukraine, it is important to prevent impunity, so one must assess the possible involvement of not only Russia but also its accomplices, representatives of the Belarusian authorities, including the highest officials.
The Minister asked the Lithuanian Prosecutor General to assess whether the information provided constitutes grounds for expanding the scope of ongoing investigations or for launching new pre-trial investigations into the separation of children, deportation or displacement of civilians, as well as bodily harm, torture or other inhuman treatment of persons protected by international humanitarian law.
The documents attached to the letter indicate that after the Russian war against Ukraine began, more than 2,000 Ukrainian children, mostly orphans, were illegally transferred from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to camps in Belarus, probably on the orders of the Belarusian regime or with its approval.
Following the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Lithuania announced the launch of a pre-trial investigation into the treatment of people prohibited by international law, as well as aggression and prohibited military actions.
Background:
- Earlier, Pavel Latushko, Belarusian oppositionist, Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, has said that at least 2,150 children have been taken to Belarus from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
- Ukraine has been investigating Belarus' involvement in the illegal deportation of children from the Russian-occupied territories.
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