The Transboundary Crisis: Forced Displacement and Extraterritorial Persecution of Belarusians as Crimes Against Humanity

Abstract

Following the falsified presidential election of August 9, 2020, Belarus has witnessed an unprecedented campaign of state-sponsored persecution that has forced approximately 300,000 Belarusians to flee their homeland, primarily to Lithuania and Poland. This exodus represents 3.2% of Belarus’s population and constitutes one of the largest forced displacement crises in contemporary Europe. The Belarusian regime’s systematic persecution extends beyond national borders, targeting exiled citizens through intimidation of relatives, property seizures, in absentia trials, and denial of consular services. This analysis examines the transboundary nature of these alleged crimes against humanity, demonstrating how deportation and extraterritorial persecution occur across multiple jurisdictions, thereby engaging international criminal law mechanisms previously unavailable. The study proposes invoking the OSCE Moscow Mechanism under Paragraph 8 to establish an expert mission capable of investigating these crimes on Lithuanian and Polish territory, where victims now reside and continue to face persecution.