Russia, Belarus cannot be allowed to use Interpol for political purposes – Lithuanian minister
Lithuanian Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė on Wednesday called on Interpol to ensure that Russia and Belarus do not use their membership of the organisation to achieve their political goals and persecute dissidents.
“Interpol must do everything to prevent non-democratic states, such as Russia or Belarus, from using membership to pursue their political aims,” Bilotaitė said in a press release.
“The international community cannot tolerate the abuse of the Interpol channel to persecute one’s own citizens and those of other countries for political purposes,” she added.
Bilotaitė is taking part in the 91st Interpol General Assembly in Vienna.
In the Austrian capital, the minister met with Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock to discuss Russia’s prosecution of Lithuanian judges, prosecutors, and other officials involved in the January 1991 Soviet crackdown trial.
Fourteen civilians were killed and hundreds more were wounded when the Soviet troops stormed the TV Tower and the Radio and Television Committee building in Vilnius in the early morning of January 13, 1991.
Russia has filed criminal charges against several Lithuanian judges involved in the trial and has launched an international search for them.
Lithuania, for its part, has condemned the use of international legal instruments for politically motivated prosecutions.
In Vienna, Bilotaitė also presented Lithuania’s position on proposals by Russia and Belarus to the General Assembly.
“We notice that Russia and Belarus constantly seek ways to impose their political will,” the minister said in the press release. “This General Assembly is no exception, which is well illustrated by the draft resolutions proposed by the countries. We have to ensure that no proposals of this kind are accepted.”
According to the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, Russia’s draft resolution for amending Interpol’s Constitution proposes that only members themselves can terminate their membership of the organisation.
Earlier this month, Bilotaitė wrote to the interior ministers of EU member states and Schengen-associated countries regarding the draft resolutions tabled by Russia and Belarus.
Interpol's secretary general was also informed of Lithuania's readiness to delegate a Lithuanian police representative to the organisation’s General Secretariat, according to the press release.