Belarus - September 2023

Belarus will no longer renew or issue new passports to its citizens abroad, according to a decree signed by President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. An estimated 200,000 to 1 million Belarusian citizens live outside the country, and human rights advocates condemned the explicit limits on freedom of movement as well as the implicit threat to journalists, activists and political opposition who have moved outside the country to avoid harassment by security services as well as the risk of torture and imprisonment. Lithuania, which is home to an estimated 58,000 Belarusian citizens, has announced plans to begin issuing “foreign passports” to Belarusians who did not want to comply. The US State Department condemned the Belarusian government’s move and said it was in “close consultation” with European countries to find ways to support Belarusian expatriates.

Sources: Meduza, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, International Federation for Human Rights