AFPPresident Lukashenko of Belarus in September 2023
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 04:52
Belarusian President Lukashenko has signed a new law that gives him immunity from criminal prosecution for the rest of his life. The new law also prohibits opposition leaders living abroad from participating in presidential elections.
On paper, the law applies to all presidents and their family members, but is mainly intended for Lukashenko himself. The 69-year-old president has ruled Belarus with an iron hand since 1994.
For example, the protests after his re-election in 2020 were harshly suppressed. Residents of Belarus took to the streets en masse after the opposition and the West labeled the elections as fraudulent.
Authorities arrested more than 35,000 people, many of whom were tortured during their captivity. Lukashenko has also been linked to the illegal deportation of children from areas in Ukraine occupied by Russia. An international arrest warrant has been issued against President Putin of Russia. The new law should prevent Lukashenko from being prosecuted for this in Belarus.
The text states that after a president leaves office, he “shall not be held responsible for actions related to the exercise of presidential powers.” Furthermore, the law stipulates that the president and his family are entitled to medical care and protection by the state throughout their lives.
Stricter rules for presidential candidates
In recent years, many members of the Belarusian opposition have been detained or fled abroad. The law bars them from running in the 2025 presidential elections, when Lukashenko wants to start his seventh term. From now on, candidates must have lived in Belarus for at least 20 consecutive years and have never had a residence permit for another country.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Lithuania in 2020, says the new law is the result of Lukashenko’s “fear of an inevitable future.” “He will be punished according to international law and no immunity will protect him from this,” Tikhanovskaya said.
Nieuwsuur spoke with relatives of detainees in Belarus in 2021, to find out how their loved ones are faring in prison:
2024-01-05 03:52:33
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