Lithuania Sues Belarus Over State-Led Migrant Smuggling Case

State-run Smuggling Accusations

The Belarusian government, led by President Alexander Lukashenko, has organized the transfer of masses of migrants — largely people from the Middle East and Africa — across their border to the European Union, the Lithuanian government has claimed. This can also be interpreted as a breach of the United Nations Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air.

Other countries have also been impacted, including Poland, Latvia, and Estonia. Migrants first appeared on the border of Belarus and Lithuania in 2021, when they repeatedly found themselves stuck there in appalling living conditions without access to basics like food, water and medical help. The unfavourable treatment of these people gave rise to the human rights issue.

Pursuing Accountability and Financial Recovery
Lithuanian justice minister MOCKUS underscored that it is not the sovereignty of Lithuania that is at stake, but also the example it has to set in terms of international law. The case is an attempt to protect Lithuania's borders and stop the political exploitation of vulnerable groups, his agency told diplomats, he said.

The Lithuanian government also demands financial compensation for the damage it said was caused by Belarus's actions. They would increase funding for border security, emergency humanitarian care and system-driven problems. The particular damages will introduced during the court proceeding.

He described the actions as a "hybrid attack" and reiterated that Lithuania would defend international law and its own security through means of law at its disposal.

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