Belarus bans citizens from renewing passports abroad, spreading fear among those who fled repression

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Belarus bans citizens from renewing passports abroad, spreading fear among those who fled repression

Updated 3:25 PM EDT, September 5, 2023

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarus’ authoritarian president on Tuesday banned citizens from renewing their passports while staying abroad, which could force those who fled the country amid growing repression to return to maintain their travel documents.

An estimated 200-300,000 Belarusians have left the country in the last three years since massive protests against an election that returned President Alexander Lukashenko to office led to a harsh crackdown on the political opposition.

The election results were widely regarded as manipulated.

Lukashenko’s decree stated that a Belarusian passport can only be renewed where the holder was a registered resident before leaving the country.

Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania after challenging Lukashenko in the 2020 election, warned Belarusians, saying, “even if your passport expires, you should not return to your home country if you risk persecution.”

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/belarus-passports-poland-lukashenko-1f458e034bdb124902c4a55ba5d46b0f

[Lovie777]

1. The NATO countries are closing their borders..............

and I don't blame them.