Belarusian diplomatic missions will no longer issue passports to citizens permanently residing abroad, the independent online newspaper Zerkalo has reported, a blow to the Belarusian émigré communities.
The changes are part of a decree issued by Belarus’ strongman president Alexander Lukashenko.
Until now, citizens living outside Belarus could obtain or extend passports at an embassy or consulate.
The decree states that from now on, this can only be done at the Belarusian Interior Ministry offices. Meanwhile, passports with biometric data will only be replaced at the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it states.
Commenting on Lukashenko’s decree, which will inconvenience in particular opposition activists residing abroad, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on Telegram that she and her colleagues were consulting the governments of the countries where most Belarusians reside. She said that the issue would also be raised at the United Nations General Assembly.
According to Tsikhanouskaya, who was Lukashenko’s rival during the 2020 presidential election and has since been one of the opposition leaders, the president’s decree means that Minsk intends to refuse consular assistance to Belarusians.
The opposition leader urged Belarusians not to panic or take reckless action in response to the Minsk decision.
“Dear Belarusians, I ask you not to panic or take reckless action. Even if your passport is about to expire, you should not go back to your homeland if you are threatened with persecution. After all, no document in the world is worth a person’s freedom. The most important thing is to take care of yourself and your safety. After all, people are the most valuable thing of Belarus,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote to Telegram.
She also referred to the process of developing a new Belarusian passport, which was presented in early August, without giving any more specific deadlines.
“We are about to start issuing new Belarusian passports and working on their recognition. This is not a quick process and we will need the help of all Belarusians living abroad. We will need the support of the governments of the countries where Belarusians live. We hope that the legalisation of the passport will help to solve many problems,” she said.
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