On Wednesday, local media in the Grodno region of Belarus reported about the arrest of a Lithuanian man who was allegedly found in possession of smuggled ammunition.
“The embassy is aware of the situation, is clarifying the circumstances of the incident, and is seeking to meet the detained citizen,” the Foreign Ministry confirmed in a written response to LRT.lt
According to the Belarusian media, the country’s customs officers found 98 rounds of ammunition when inspecting a Lithuanian citizen’s car at the Lithuania-Belarus border checkpoint. The Grodno Regional Customs Office said it had opened a criminal case against the Lithuanian man.
The Foreign Ministry advises Lithuanian citizens against travelling to Belarus.
“Every Lithuanian citizen could become a target of Belarusian security structures. At border checkpoints, people travelling to Belarus could become subject to interrogation by the Belarusian security authorities, who often seize people’s devices, such as phones and computers, check their contacts, photos, correspondence, and other information,” the ministry said in a statement.
It warns that Lithuanian citizens could also be illegally detained by Belarusian officials on trumped-up charges.
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