Lithuania files case against Belarus at ICJ over alleged people smuggling

Refugees and migrants stand at the fence at the newly built refugee camp in the Rudninkai military training ground, 38km (23.6 miles) south of Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2021. [File: Mindaugas Kulbis/AP]

Lithuania has initiated legal proceedings against Belarus at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbour of orchestrating a refugee and migrant crisis by facilitating the smuggling of people across their border.

“The Belarusian regime must be held legally accountable for orchestrating the wave of illegal migration and the resulting human rights violations,” Lithuanian Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus said in a statement on Monday.