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Berlin (dpa) - The ruler Alexander Lukashenko has been reported to the Federal Prosecutor in Karlsruhe because of the excesses of violence after the presidential election in Belarus.
According to information from the German Press Agency, four German lawyers filed a criminal complaint on behalf of victims of torture for crimes against humanity.
"Our clients expect Germany to stand up for the defense of universal human rights in the case of Belarus, too," the lawyers explained.
They called for an independent investigation, which could not be expected in Belarus itself.
The so-called world law principle makes it possible to prosecute international law crimes committed by foreigners in other countries.
In Belarus, neither Lukashenko nor members of his security apparatus were threatened with legal consequences, the lawyers said.
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According to the UN Human Rights Council, there have been numerous reports of torture, kidnappings, arbitrary expulsions and disappearances in Belarus. The lawyers said their ten clients spoke of physical abuse, food and sleep deprivation, humiliation and degradation. They were left on their knees for hours with their hands tied so that they could only support themselves with their heads. All clients suffered serious health consequences. "Overall, the state treatment can only be described as bestial," said the lawyers.
After the presidential election last August, which was widely considered to be falsified, hundreds of thousands of people protested against long-term ruler Lukashenko at times in Belarus.
The EU and the US imposed sanctions on Belarus because of the excesses of violence by the security forces against peaceful demonstrators.
More than 30,000 people were temporarily arrested during the protests.
Hundreds of people were injured and several were killed.
The opposition sees the opposition member Svetlana Tichanovskaya, who fled to the EU country Lithuania, as the true winner of the election.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210505-99-472062 / 2