EU Parliament calls for arrest warrant for Lukashenko
The European Parliament on Wednesday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for his role in the war in Ukraine.
The resolution, which was approved by a majority of MEPs, also recognized Lukashenko as an accomplice to the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
European lawmakers accused Lukashenko of causing damage to Ukraine and of involvement in the illegal transfer of children. They also called on the Council of the European Union to extend the sanctions package against Russia and Belarus.
The report with the request to the ICC was approved by the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs on September 13.
The European Parliament strongly condemned the involvement of the Minsk regime in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, as well as the hate speech, disinformation, and propaganda that reflect the rhetoric of Moscow.
It is worth noting that on March 17, 2023, the ICC issued international arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Belova, who are accused of being responsible for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. As a result, 123 ICC member states are required to arrest Putin and transfer him to The Hague if he enters their territory.
These are the first international accusations against Russia since the beginning of the conflict and come after months of work by special investigative teams, The New York Times previously reported. Russia is accused of kidnapping Ukrainian children and adolescents, and of deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure. Moscow has strongly denied that its forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.
The Kremlin claims that its military operation does not deliberately target civilians and that it is providing humanitarian aid to those who want to leave Ukraine voluntarily.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
