MEPs call on Hague court to issue an arrest warrant for Lukashenko
The head of the Belarusian regime, Alexander Lukashenko (Photo:Getty Images)
Members of the European Parliament called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for the head of the Belarusian regime, Alexander Lukashenko. That is related to Belarus's involvement in the deportation of children from Ukraine, according to a press release based on the results of a report by European Parliament deputies.
According to the MEPs, Belarus is responsible for the harm inflicted on Ukraine and the crimes committed in Ukraine, including the regime's role in the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.
"With the International Criminal Court (ICC) already having issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova, MEPs call on the ICC to consider a similar arrest warrant for Aliaksandr Lukashenko," the press release states.
In addition, European Parliament deputies believe that the EU Council should expand the list of Belarusian and Russian individuals subject to EU sanctions, particularly those involved in the forcible deportation of Ukrainian children.
Arrest warrant for Putin
In March 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. An arrest warrant was also issued for Russia's Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Alexeyevna Lvov-Belova.
BRICS Summit
In connection with this, Pretoria, where the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit will be held from August 22 to 24, is expected to arrest Putin upon arrival. South Africa is already preparing changes to the relevant laws and wants to incorporate them into the appropriate acts before the summit. Although he has not officially confirmed his attendance, Putin will attend the summit.
Belarus's involvement in the deportation of Ukrainian children
Since September 2022, thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly deported to Belarus. In particular, the deportation of children involved even a member of Belarus's national Paralympic team, Alexey Talai. Recently, Ukraine filed the first charges against a Russian politician and two suspected Ukrainian collaborators in the deportation of orphaned children.
