Belarus Halts Passport Renewals Abroad, Leaving Exiled Citizens Stranded, Opposition Proposes New Passport Solution

Belarusians abroad struggle as passport renewals cease under Lukashenko's regime, opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya pitches 'Passport of New Belarus.'

• Belarus has stopped renewing passports at its embassies abroad, leaving 500,000 Belarusians who fled to the West after the fraudulent 2020 election with no valid documents. The move is seen as retaliation against Lukashenko's critics-in-exile, exposing them to politically motivated prosecution if they return to Belarus.
• Countries hosting large numbers of Belarusians, like Lithuania and Poland, are attempting temporary solutions by issuing a one-year “foreigner’s passport”, while the European Union is examining the situation and urging those affected to seek support from their country of residence.
• The halted passport renewals have individual impacts, such as on Belarusian immigrant Andrei in Germany, who faces potential illegality or persecution back home in Belarus and is in dire need of documents to secure employment or apply for refugee status.
• The passport issue is seen as part of Lukashenko’s strategy to neutralize a significant part of the opposition ahead of parliamentary elections in 2024 and a presidential election in 2025. Deputy head of the parliament’s Commission for International Affairs, Oleg Gaidukevich, said it was a move against 'extremists' and advised those in exile to get passports from their host countries.
• Opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya proposed a solution with the 'Passport of New Belarus', which can serve as a substitute for citizenship and travel document for Belarusians abroad. The opposition plans to approach EU governments for recognition of these new passports.

3 Articles

Boston Globe Washington Post Associated Press