The International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB) welcomes the referral of the situation in Belarus to the International Criminal Court (ICC) by the Government of Lithuania on 30 September 2024.
“The referral marks a significant first step towards investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed by the government of Belarus since May 2020”, says Andrea Huber, Head of the IAPB. “But we must also acknowledge that this referral, if accepted, would cover only some of the crimes committed in Belarus.”
With its referral, the Lithuanian government requests the ICC to examine whether it has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes against humanity, including deportation, persecution, and other inhumane acts, committed by Belarusian senior officials since 1 May 2020.
According to Article 14 of the Rome Statute, as an ICC member state Lithuania can submit the referral because part of these crimes occurred on Lithuanian territory, bringing them within the Court’s jurisdiction. This builds on a previous ICC decision to accept jurisdiction over a non-ICC member state in the context of deportation (the Myanmar/Bangladesh situation).
According to the Lithuanian government in its statement of 30 September, “the [Belarusian] regime has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of lawful residents of Belarus to the territories of neighbouring Lithuania, and other States Parties (…), without grounds permitted under international law.”
“The IAPB has supported the efforts of criminal justice authorities to address the international crimes committed in Belarus. We hope that the ICC will assume jurisdiction and open an investigation, and we look forward to providing all available evidence to the ICC”, says Viktoria Fedorova, representative of the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, IAPB’s co-lead.
“Torture, gender-based violence, unlawful detention and other crimes must not go unpunished. Hence, we strongly encourage national prosecution authorities to continue investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed in Belarus”, says Andrea Huber.
Pavel Sapelko from Viasna, another IAPB co-lead, also stresses the need for additional steps.
”In order to enable accountability of crimes committed against Belarusians, Viasna and International Committee have interviewed over 2,500 victims and witnesses about events between 2020 and 2024”, Pavel Sapelko says and continues:
“These witness statements, alongside open-source information, has been collected to a criminal law standard and can be made available to prosecution authorities willing to help us counter the impunity of Belarusian perpetrators for grave human rights violations and international crimes.”
About the IAPB:
The International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB), created in March 2021, is a consortium of Belarusian and international NGOs that collects, consolidates, verifies, and preserves evidence of gross human rights violations allegedly committed by Belarusian authorities and others in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath.
The IAPB supports investigations of national prosecutors and international accountability bodies by providing access to the collected evidence and analytical products.
Since its establishment, the IAPB has received eight requests for assistance from five different states, four requests for information from the UN Examination of the human rights situation in Belarus of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), one from the OSCE Moscow Mechanism Rapporteur, as well as several requests from civil society organisations and lawyers working towards the investigation of crimes committed in Belarus.
It is a distinguished international human rights expert with more than 20 years of experience from Amnesty International, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Penal Reform International who will lead the International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IABP).
»We are very excited that Andrea Huber will head International Accountability Platform for Belarus and our ongoing efforts to secure justice for the victims of human rights violations in Belarus«, says Rasmus Grue Christensen, CEO at DIGNITY.
International Accountability Platform for Belarus was established in 2021 by DIGNITY, Belarusian Human Rights Center Viasna, International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, and REDRESS. In addition, several other Belarusian and international organizations are involved in the platform’s work.
They work together to ensure that evidence of gross human rights violations is collected, verified, analyzed, and preserved so it can be used by national and international accountability bodies in proceedings against the perpetrators.
The new head of the platform comes from a position as Head of the Human Rights Department at OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and has worked with human rights since she obtained her Master’s Degree in Law from University of Vienna in 1997.
»I’m very honored to be joining the International Accountability Platform, which I believe sets a new standard for this field of work. It sets a precedent for documenting and analyzing evidence and making it accessible for both prosecution and preservation,« says Andrea Huber.
»The scale and systematic pattern of the human rights violations in Belarus is exceptional, and it is of utmost importance that the international community does not let these violations go unpunished. «
Andrea Huber will join International Accountability Platform for Belarus on the 15th of August 2024, and she will be based in Vienna, Austria.
About
INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY PLATFORM FOR BELARUS (IABP)
DIGNITY leads the work of the IAPB platform, which collects, verifies, and preserves evidence of possible international crimes committed by the Belarusian authorities and others in the run-up to and after the 2020 presidential elections. IAPB cooperates with, among others, the UN and national prosecutors investigating gross human rights violations in Belarus.
DIGNITY – DANISH INSTITUTE AGAINST TORTURE
DIGNITY is an international human rights and development organization that has been working for a world free from torture and violence since 1982. DIGNITY prevents torture and violence, treats traumatized victims, and helps document serious human rights violations so that those responsible can be brought to justice.
Today, the University of Graz in Austria is honoring the efforts to collect evidence of gross human rights violations in Belarus.
On Friday, March 22, 2024, an international human rights prize will be awarded to the International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB), which collects evidence of gross human rights violations in Belarus and promotes accountability for perpetrators.
“This is an important recognition and strong boost to our work in Belarus and especially to the courageous Belarusian human rights activists who fight for justice every day”, says Rasmus Grue Christensen, CEO of DIGNITY, which is the lead organization of the IABP.
He will be accepting the award in Graz on Friday together with Victoria Federova from the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, one of the IAPB’s co-lead organisations.
“We will continue to collect evidence of crimes under international law, to support accountability efforts from criminal justice authorities and international mechanisms. We hope that this award will once again shine a spotlight on the ongoing and escalating human rights violations in Belarus, from 2020 up to the present day. Together we hope for the expansion of the fight against impunity in national jurisdictions. We will not stop in our quest for justice.”
Pavel Sapelko, representative and lawyer from Viasna, IAPB’s co-lead organization, also welcomes the recognition.
“We rely on the courage of the victims of torture and the efforts of human rights defenders, who share their stories and expertise with us. This prize is for them.”
The International Accountability Platform for Belarus was established in 2021 by DIGNITY, Belarusian Human Rights Center Viasna, International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, and REDRESS. In addition, several other Belarusian and international organizations are also involved in the platform’s work.
They work together to ensure that evidence of gross human rights violations constituting crimes under international law is collected, verified, analyzed, and preserved so it can be used by national and international accountability bodies in proceedings against the perpetrators.
The award recognizes the initiative’s “outstanding efforts in combating impunity for human rights violations”.
The platform’s work is supported by a wide range of states, including Denmark, Germany, the UK, and the US as well as the European Union.
The Austrian University of Graz is behind the international prize, which has been awarded approximately every five years since 1992. Previous recipients include the 14th Dalai Lama and Volker Türk, who is currently the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY PLATFORM FOR BELARUS (IABP)
DIGNITY leads the work of the IAPB platform, which collects, verifies, and preserves evidence of possible international crimes committed by the Belarusian authorities and others in the run-up to and after the 2020 presidential elections. IAPB cooperates with, among others, the UN and prosecutors investigating gross human rights violations in Belarus.
DIGNITY – DANISH INSTITUTE AGAINST TORTURE
DIGNITY is an international human rights and development organization that has been working for a world free from torture and violence since 1982. DIGNITY prevents torture and violence, treats traumatized victims, and helps document serious human rights violations so that those responsible can be brought to justice.
For further information, please contact press advisor, Marie Torp Christensen, by phone +45 27577349 or email matc@dignity.dk
The IAPB urged members of the OSCE Human Dimension Committee to adopt stronger domestic measures to hold alleged perpetrators of crimes under international law accountable as it met in Vienna today. Despite continued deterioration of the human rights situation in Belarus and its role in the Ukraine conflict, few investigations have been commenced and survivors’ opportunities for accessing justice continue to narrow.
The OSCE Human Dimension Committee met as the IAPB released its most recent progress report, detailing its most recent efforts to support criminal justice authorities and international human rights bodies.
“The increasing number of complaints by victims from multiple repressive or conflict contexts being filed in European States are not being met with sufficient resources to investigate and prosecute their claims,” said Kate Vigneswaran, Head of the IAPB. “Documenting alleged international crimes committed in Belarus is vital for ensuring future prosecutions, but that goal can only be realised if states dedicate resources to make it happen.”
During the April to September 2023 period, the IAPB made detailed submissions to criminal justice authorities in two additional States, bringing to three the number of European States which have received support from the IAPB for potential investigations into alleged international crimes committed in Belarus. The submissions contained factual and legal analysis of the underlying acts and contextual elements of crimes against humanity in Belarus, as well as the role of state security structures involved in their commission.
The IAPB also supported the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Examination of the human rights situation in Belarus, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Moscow Mechanism Rapporteur, Professor Hervé Ascensio, including by providing access to witnesses, cases in its collection and information on state security structures, sexual and gender-based crimes and accountability needs.
The IAPB’s support for the OSCE Moscow Mechanism rapporteur contributed to his findings that a range of human rights violations had been committed by State actors in Belarus and led to his call on the international community to do more to hold perpetrators accountable, and to continue to support survivors, civil society and others involved in pursuing accountability.
“According to our latest survey, survivors and other witnesses are located in more than 30 countries. The OSCE Moscow Mechanism rapporteur as well as the UN High Commissioner have recommended that states work towards accountability through national proceedings based on accepted principles of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction,” said Victoria Federova, representative of IAPB co-lead, International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus. “We urge states to show political will, allocate additional resources to investigating authorities, initiate changes in legislation.”
These requests for assistance were met at a time when the human rights situation in Belarus continued to worsen. By today’s count, 1,475 political prisoners remained in prison. Political prisoners Mikalai Klimovich, a Belarusian blogger, and Ales Pushkin, a Belarusian artist, died in custody in unknown circumstances during the reporting period. Well-known opposition politicians, including Maria Kalesnikava, Mikola Statkevich, Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Viktar Babaryka, were held incommunicado for prolonged periods. The KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs recognised 148 entities as extremist formations, including IAPB co-lead organisation, the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.
“In the face of resistance from the Belarusian authorities, we continue to collect, process, and systematise evidence of alleged crimes against humanity. This is happening amid widespread repression against survivors and pressure on us as human rights defenders,” said Pavel Sapelko, Viasna representative on the IAPB Steering Committee. “Our collective efforts to overcome impunity should bear fruit if democratic states demonstrate the political will to investigate and prosecute perpetrators. The range of alleged crimes committed by the regime is widening and this needs an adequate response.”
The IAPB has secured funding to continue its work for another three-year period, from October 2023 until September 2026, during which it will use its established infrastructure and expertise to pursue a proactive approach to pursuing accountability and bolster its survivor-centred approach.
About the IAPB
The IAPB is an innovative civil society platform that collects, preserves and analyses information and evidence of serious human rights violations constituting crimes under international law allegedly committed in Belarus in the context of the August 2020 presidential election and its aftermath, with the aim of supporting accountability bodies and ensuring Belarusians and other survivors have access to remedies and reparations. Since April 2021, the IAPB has collected information and evidence of torture, rape and other acts of sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, extrajudicial killings and other inhumane acts committed by state actors in Belarus, which may constitute crimes against humanity. The IAPB collects information and evidence from victims and witnesses both inside and outside Belarus, providing them with access to information and to referral pathways for mental health and psychosocial support irrespective of their location.
The IAPB is led by DIGNITY (Danish Institute Against Torture), the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus and REDRESS.
The IAPB’s mandate is supported by the European Union and states including Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA. Recognising the importance of the IAPB’s work, the IAPB’s mandate, which started on 24 March 2021, was extended in 2022 until September 2023, and has more recently been extended for a third phase until September 2026.
In recognition of its contribution to the promotion of human rights in Belarus, Viasna was awarded the Clooney Foundation for Justice Albie Award in September 2022 and its founder, Ales Bialiatski, the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2022. In January 2023, the International Committee was awarded the “Human Rights Campaign/Initiative of the Year 2022” award.
The IAPB is advancing accountability efforts and justice for victims and survivors in Belarus, with information and evidence provided to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) having contributed to its recent findings that the human rights violations in Belarus may constitute crimes against humanity, a newly published IAPB progress report shows.
The findings from the UN High Commissioner, which were presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March, drew from interviews with 207 victims and witnesses and an analysis of over 2,500 documents. Of these, the IAPB facilitated access to more than 100 interviewees and 1,300 documents. In addition, the IAPB submitted documentation on 180 cases of sexual and gender-based violence, which the High Commissioner found to be credible, contributing to its finding that sexual and gender-based violence had been committed in Belarus.
The latest IAPB progress report also highlights that the platform is currently assisting criminal justice authorities in four states exercising or considering exercising universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction over crimes under international law allegedly committed in Belarus, ensuring that viable criminal cases are brought in the future to hold perpetrators accountable and deliver reparations to victims.
At the same time, the IAPB continues to grow its collection of information and evidence on alleged crimes under international law, preserving them in tailored-made digital archives, ensuring they will be readily accessible in the long term. During the reporting period (October 2022 – March 2023), the IAPB had already collected information and evidence from over 2,300 survivor-victims and witnesses located both inside Belarus and elsewhere, and over 750,000 open-source intelligence files.
As the UN High Commissioner noted in its findings, there is no reasonable prospect for justice for victims in Belarus, thus preserving this evidence is crucial. Rampant impunity for human rights violations continues, with Belarus’ withdrawal from the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 8 November 2022 coming into effect from 8 February 2023, preventing Belarusian citizens from reporting violations of the Covenant to the UN Human Rights Committee.
Kate Vigneswaran, Head of the IAPB, said:
“The Belarusian authorities have not held one single perpetrator in Belarus accountable due to their lack of willingness. The only options for delivering victims justice lie in third states willing to investigate and prosecute, through UN human rights bodies and, for a more limited range of crimes, the International Criminal Court. Compared with the period in which the IAPB was established, the situation in Belarus has increased in complexity, with more violations of international human rights law and international criminal law that merit investigation. Increasing requests for assistance show that the IAPB can crucially meet these needs for assistance.”
Victoria Federova, from the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, one of the IAPB’s co-lead organisations, stated:
“In interviews conducted with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Belarusian survivors of torture highlighted the importance of documenting violations and of collecting and preserving evidence, which are essential for accountability processes and for future recognition of their status as victims. We will continue to collect evidence of crimes under international law, to support accountability efforts from criminal justice authorities and international mechanisms.”
Pavel Sapelko, representative and lawyer from Viasna, another IAPB’s co-lead organisation, said:
“We have demonstrated the ability of human rights organisations to fill gaps in the existing mechanisms for collecting, consolidating, and preserving evidence for the future prosecution of those guilty of crimes against humanity. We will firmly stand at the forefront of the struggle to preserve the truth about the brutality of the Belarusian authoritarian authorities who lost the elections, supporting legal accountability efforts and advancing the fight against impunity regardless of borders. Not only dictators can be strong, but also the democratic forces that defend and promote the principles of human rights.”
More than two years after the August 2020 presidential elections, the human rights situation in Belarus has significantly worsened. Currently, at least 1,495 political prisoners languish in prison, including the leadership of Viasna, Chair and Nobel Prize laureate Ales Bialatski and Deputy Chair Valentin Stefanovic – who were sentenced to ten and nine years’ imprisonment respectively for their human rights work in March. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, allegedly supported by Belarus, has worsened the situation for Belarusians inside Belarus and elsewhere.
In his most recent report, released in May, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism rapporteur on Belarus noted the need for the international community “to support initiatives aimed at reporting and documenting human rights violations in Belarus, and notably the work of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus.” The IAPB shared information and evidence that it has gathered with the rapporteur, including open-source documents and confidential sources on individual cases, which the rapporteur found “highly reliable”.
Contacts:
About the IAPB
The IAPB is an innovative civil society platform that collects, preserves and analyses information and evidence of serious human rights violations constituting crimes under international law allegedly committed in Belarus in the context of the August 2020 presidential election and its aftermath, with the aim of supporting accountability bodies and ensuring Belarusians and other survivors have access to remedies and reparations. Since April 2021, the IAPB has collected information and evidence of torture, rape and other acts of sexual and gender-based violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, extrajudicial killings and other inhumane acts committed by state actors in Belarus, which may constitute crimes against humanity. The IAPB collects information and evidence from victims and witnesses both inside and outside Belarus, providing them with access to information and to referral pathways for mental health and psychosocial support irrespective of their location.
The IAPB is led by DIGNITY (Danish Institute Against Torture), the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus and REDRESS.
The IAPB’s mandate is supported by the European Union and states including Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA. Recognising the importance of the IAPB’s work, the IAPB’s mandate, which started on 24 March 2021, was extended in 2022 until September 2023.
In recognition of its contribution to the promotion of human rights in Belarus, Viasna was awarded the Clooney Foundation for Justice Albie Award in September 2022 and its founder, Ales Bialiatski, the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2022. In January 2023, the International Committee was awarded the “Human Rights Campaign/Initiative of the Year 2022” award.
In his report to the UN Human Rights Council released today, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has found there are sufficient grounds to believe systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations have been and are being committed in Belarus, which may constitute crimes against humanity.
However, the report also concludes that there is no reasonable expectation for justice to be delivered for human rights violations committed in Belarus given “an active policy to shield perpetrators and prevent accountability,” recommending that member states “work towards accountability through national proceedings based on accepted principles of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction.”
The International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB) supports this recommendation and calls on states to consider exercising universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction to hold alleged perpetrators accountable and deliver justice to victims, in accordance with states’ obligations to investigate and prosecute international crimes under international law.
The report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights draws from interviews with 207 witnesses and witnesses and an analysis of over 2,500 documents. It finds Belarusian state authorities responsible for widespread and systematic human rights violations between 1 May 2020 and 31 December 2022, such as unlawful deprivation of life, torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, and the denial of due process and the right to enter one’s own country.
According to the High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk:
“Our report paints an unacceptable picture of impunity and the near-total destruction of civic space and fundamental freedoms in Belarus. The Government owes it to its people to bring a halt to this mass repression and to conduct impartial and transparent investigations to ensure that those responsible for grave violations are held accountable.”
Reacting to the report, Pavel Sapelko, representative and lawyer from Viasna, IAPB’s co-lead organization, said:
“The courage of the victims of torture and the efforts of human rights defenders to prevent impunity will bring the perpetrators of all known cases of torture and ill-treatment and other inhumane acts to justice. We applaud the efforts of international organizations and hope for the expansion of the fight against impunity in national jurisdictions. We will not stop in our quest for justice.”
Victoria Federova, from the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, also IAPB’s co-lead organization, stated:
“We welcome the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and fully support its conclusions regarding the possible qualification of human rights violations in Belarus as crimes against humanity. It will enable us to advance the application of the principle of universal jurisdiction to prosecute perpetrators in other states. I would like to note the important contribution of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus and Belarusian human rights organisations to this report. This is the result of our documentation and preservation of evidence of human rights violations in Belarus.”
The IAPB provided substantial support to the Office of the High Commissioner examination of the situation in Belarus (OEB), including by facilitating interviews with over 100 victims and witnesses and providing access to over 1,300 documents on a range of violations the OEB found to have been committed by state actors.
The report also documented over 100 cases of sexual and gender-based violence against detainees, finding another 180 documented and analysed by civil society organisations to be credible. However, the High Commissioner noted the scale of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is likely to be under-reported due to stigma, fear of reprisals and denial of access of UN human rights investigators to the country. It also highlighted the particular violations suffered by LGBTIQ+ victims.
The IAPB supported the OEB’s findings on SGBV, and is currently pursuing a gender strategy with a view to ensuring any criminal investigations and prosecutions of international crimes committed in Belarus are conducted in a gender-competent manner and take into account the full range of harms experienced by men, women and persons with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity.
Kate Vigneswaran, Head of the IAPB, said:
“The onus is now on states to live up to their commitment to accountability by ensuring Belarusians have avenues to access remedies. Progressive legal frameworks providing criminal justice authorities with the opportunity to exercise universal or extraterritorial jurisdiction over crimes committed in Belarus are pointless if they are not used. Belarusians have very few venues they can turn to for justice, and those that do exist should make themselves available.”
The OHCHR’s statement and full report is available here.
Contacts:
About the IAPB
The IAPB is a coalition of independent non-government organisations that have joined forces to collect, consolidate, verify, and preserve evidence of gross human rights violations constituting crimes under international law allegedly committed by Belarusian authorities and others in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and its aftermath. It builds on the ongoing efforts of Belarusian human rights organisations to collect information about human rights violations committed in Belarus. More information about the IAPB can be found on iapbelarus.org. The IAPB is led by DIGNITY (Danish Institute Against Torture), the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus and REDRESS.
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