Belarusian opposition leader announces creation of a ‘People’s Tribunal’

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya) has announced the creation of a “People’s Tribunal” (Narodny Tribunal), which plans to prosecute President Alexander Lukashenko and the allies of his regime in the future.

“Our country has definitively turned into a crime scene. I declare Alexander Lukashenko and his accomplices a terrorist organization, which must be held accountable for its crimes,” Tikhonovskaya said in a statement on Telegram.

Tikhanovskaya said that in partnership with the online platforms “Zurb” and “Golos” (which monitored the Belarusian presidential elections), the opposition has developed a system for recording evidence of the Lukashenko regime’s crimes. The platform will allow users to upload photos and videos exhibiting the illegal actions of the security forces, which could one day be used as evidence in a trial. Tikhanovskaya also promised an amnesty for law enforcement officers who report the crimes of their colleagues.

The opposition plans to used these crowd-sourced materials as the basis for conducting a “People’s Prosecution,” which will allow Belarusian citizens to vote on indicting suspects. 

Tikhanovskaya has also called on the Belarusian people to attend “the most massive march” on December 20, which is set to include a statement from the “People’s Prosecution.”