Three judges who will deal with the situation in Belarus in The Hague have become known

The composition of the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague regarding the situation in Belarus has become known, reported lawyer Katsiaryna Dzeikalo on her Facebook page.

Three judges will be dealing with the Belarusian case.

1) Lawyer from Romania Iulia Motoc. Before joining the ICC, she was a judge at the European Court of Human Rights for 10 years, and before that, a judge at the Constitutional Court of Romania. She also held several positions within the UN system, including Country Special Rapporteur for Congo and Thematic Special Rapporteur on Genetics and Human Rights. She is a professor of international law and has taught at various universities.

2) Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou from Benin is the Second Vice-President of the ICC. Before joining the ICC, she worked for 12 years at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, including heading it. She addressed the issue of justice for Rwanda. In Benin, she initiated several laws on women's rights. She held various positions in the UN system within human rights bodies. In 2011, she was elected to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

In November 2024, a Russian court issued a warrant for her arrest. Reine Alapini-Gansou was one of the judges who issued a warrant for the arrest of South Ossetian officials in connection with the 2008 war in Georgia.

In June 2025, sanctions were imposed on her by the Donald Trump administration. She was also one of the judges who issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

3) Judge Socorro Flores Liera from Mexico is a career diplomat who held various positions in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This included serving as Mexico's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva.

As a diplomat, she worked as part of the Mexican delegation in the process of establishing the ICC. She also represented Mexico's interests in the International Court of Justice in the 'Avena' case (Mexico v. United States), 2004. The case concerned the violation of the right to consular protection for 54 Mexican citizens sentenced to death in US courts — an example of interstate disputes for the protection of individuals' rights.

On March 17, the International Criminal Court in The Hague began investigating possible crimes against humanity related to the forced displacement of Belarusians from the country and the political persecution of opponents of the Belarusian government.

The investigation was initiated at the request of Lithuania. This country is a member of the ICC, unlike Belarus. The International Criminal Court has the right to conduct investigations if the alleged violations concern at least one member state or if it involves a decision by the UN Security Council.

The ICC Prosecutor's Office determined that the alleged crimes were cross-border in nature and were partly committed on the territory of Lithuania, and therefore fall under the jurisdiction of the court in The Hague.

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