FILE PHOTO: The leader of the Belarusian democracy movement, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya speaks on the day she receives the 'European of the Year' prize at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark May 14, 2024 Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania said on Monday it will ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Belarus over "forcible deportation, persecution and other cruel behaviour" against its own citizens.
The action was announced by Lithuania's justice ministry and drew immediate support from exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
"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 for its atrocities," Tsikhanouskaya said in a statement.
She said about 300,000 Belarusians had been forced to flee the country, with every thirtieth resident of Belarus now living in exile.
Tsikhanouskaya ran against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in a presidential election in August 2020. She fled the country after he was proclaimed the winner, in a result that the opposition and Western governments denounced as fraudulent.
The election triggered mass protests that were crushed by Lukashenko's security apparatus. Thousands of people were arrested, while others left the country, some via neighbouring Lithuania.
Belarus is not a member of the court, but an ICC member can bring a case at the ICC involving alleged crimes that are partly committed on its own territory. The Lithuanian justice ministry said the forced deportations by Belarus directly affect Lithuania's security.
Reuters has requested comment from Lukashenko's office.
(Reporting by Andrius Sytas and Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Toby Chopra)
