Belarus President signs lifetime immunity law, restricting opposition leaders in exile
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a new law granting him lifetime immunity from criminal investigation and blocking exiled opposition leaders from running in future presidential elections, as reported by The Guardian and relayed by News.ro.
The law theoretically applies to any former president and their family members, but in reality, it is specifically relevant to the 69-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron fist for nearly three decades.
The new measure appears aimed at further consolidating Lukashenko's power and eliminating potential competitors in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for 2025.
The law significantly tightens the requirements for presidential candidates, making it impossible for opposition leaders who have fled to neighbouring countries in recent years to stand for election. Only Belarusian citizens who have permanently resided in the country for at least 20 years and have never held residency in another country can run.
Belarus experienced mass protests during Lukashenko's controversial re-election in August 2020, deemed fraudulent by the opposition and the West. At that time, Belarusian authorities detained over 35,000 people, many of whom were tortured or fled the country.
According to the new law, if Lukashenko were to leave power, he "cannot be held accountable for actions related to the exercise of his presidential powers."
The law also stipulates that the president and his family will receive lifelong state protection, medical care, life insurance, and health coverage. After resignation, the president would also become a permanent, lifelong member of the upper house of Parliament.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to Lithuania in 2020, has stated that the new law is Lukashenko's response to his "inevitable future fears," suggesting that Lukashenko must be concerned about what will happen to him after leaving power.
"Lukashenko, who has destroyed the lives of thousands of Belarusians, will be held accountable under international law, and no immunity will shield him from that; it's just a matter of time," Tikhanovskaya asserted.
The country's political opposition seeks an investigation into the disappearance of opposition politicians and the abduction of Ukrainian children from Ukraine.
"We will ensure that the dictator is brought to justice," Tikhanovskaya declared, emphasising that there are still about 1,500 political prisoners behind bars in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
