In a significant legal move, Lithuania has brought a case against Belarus before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking damages over allegations of Belarus orchestrating large-scale smuggling of migrants into Lithuania. The filing, which took place on Monday, centers on claims that Belarus has violated the UN Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air. Lithuania’s accusations are based on assertions that the Belarusian regime facilitated and enabled the smuggling operations, contrary to its international obligations.
According to Lithuania, the Belarusian state-controlled entities have notably increased flights from regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. There are also claims that Belarus organized visa issuance and accommodations for the incoming migrants. Once these migrants arrived in Belarus, it is alleged that they were then escorted by Belarusian security forces to the Lithuanian border and compelled to cross it unlawfully, often under hazardous conditions. These actions reportedly posed significant security threats to Lithuania, which has reportedly spent over €200 million from 2021 to 2023 to handle the migrant crisis.
Lithuania’s Minister of Justice, Rimantas Mockus, emphasized the need to safeguard Lithuania’s reputation and hold Belarus legally accountable for orchestrating the migrant wave and resulting human rights violations. He conveyed that addressing such violations legally does not just mitigate immediate harm, but also aims to set important precedents in international law, as explained here.
This development comes amid escalating tensions, as countries neighboring Belarus, such as Poland, also accuse Belarus of exploiting migration to create instability within the European Union. The EU has shown support to eastern European countries by endorsing temporary suspensions of asylum rights under certain conditions, where perceived “weaponization” of migrants by Belarus and Russia is detected, as cited by the European Commission here.
Lithuania is asking the ICJ for a declaration that Belarus has breached its international obligations and seeks full reparations for the damages incurred due to the migrant crisis. More details on the proceedings and Lithuania’s legal stance are available via the original report on JURIST News.