Freedom of the Press 2007: Lithuania

Lithuania, which referred Belarus to the ICC, alleges that since 2020, “crimes against humanity – including deportation, persecution and other inhumane acts – have been carried out against the civilian population of Belarus”.

Press freedom experts met in Lithuania to discuss Belarus’s ongoing crackdown on independent media, which has seen approximately 400 journalists forced into exile and 32 still behind bars.

“We decided to file a complaint against Alexander Lukashenko himself because he was the direct instigator of this act of hijacking for terrorist purposes, and the term is not excessive.”