Lithuania Presses ICC on Belarus Human Rights Allegations

Lithuania has asked the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged crimes against humanity by Belarus, including forced deportations. These allegations, dismissed by Belarus' Foreign Minister as baseless, have been linked to actions during the 2020 protests under Lukashenko's rule, affecting regional security.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov dismissed allegations of crimes against humanity by his country as 'absurd,' following Lithuania's request for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate. RIA, a Russian state news agency, reported on these developments on Thursday.

On Monday, Lithuania urged the ICC to probe accusations against Belarus, led by authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, citing forced deportations and other human rights violations. These charges have prompted the ICC's chief prosecutor to initiate a preliminary inquiry.

Belarus has faced international scrutiny since the 2020 protests, which reportedly forced around 300,000 citizens to flee, including many to Lithuania. While Belarus is not a signatory to the ICC, Lithuania claims that the neighboring country's actions have compromised its security, justifying its call for court intervention.

(With inputs from agencies.)