In the UN in Vienna Belarus delivered a joint statement on behalf of a group of countries on problems in international criminal cooperation.

At the 34th session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna, Permanent Representative of Belarus to the International Organizations in Vienna Andrei Dapkiunas delivered a joint statement on behalf of Belarus, China, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Russia on the results of the thematic forum “Current Challenges in International Criminal Cooperation and Justice”.

The thematic forum and the joint statement were prepared on the initiative of Belarus.

The authors of the joint statement stressed the importance of effective application of existing multilateral instruments and expressed serious concern about the problems that hinder the establishment of effective international cooperation in the field of criminal justice and the implementation of international legal instruments.

They named unilateral coercive measures as one of the main problems hindering effective cooperation.

In the context of the Commission's thematic mandate, it was noted that such measures hinder the effective investigation of transnational criminal cases. National law enforcement agencies face difficulties in sharing operational data, collecting evidence, conducting joint operations, recovering property, and cooperating on extradition matters. These discriminatory measures undermine the implementation of relevant UN conventions, treaties on cooperation and mutual assistance in criminal matters, weaken the legal basis of international cooperation in the field of criminal justice and, in fact, allow many criminals to escape punishment.

The like-minded States emphasized that in the context of the changing international geopolitical situation, unilateral coercive measures can provoke confrontation on the part of other countries, divert the attention of the international community from the fight against transnational crimes and, as a result, contribute to them.

The authors of the joint statement called for preventing the politicization of international anti-criminal cooperation, including extradition and mutual legal assistance, and the activities of anti-criminal organizations.

The authors of the joint statement suggested that relevant international organizations and the international community as a whole closely monitor, evaluate and actively respond to the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on international cooperation in combating crime.

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