Transition cabinet working with EU on IDs for Belarusians to be stripped of citizenship – opposition politician

September 23, BPN. The opposition transition cabinet is working with the European Commission on IDs for Belarusians who may lose their citizenship on politically-motivated grounds, Pavieł Łatuška, a former diplomat and member of the transition cabinet, told DW Belarus.

Łatuška mentioned a number of possible solutions following his meetings with foreign diplomats on the matter, including extending Belarusian passports’ validity in the EU, using them after their expiration date, receiving international protection or introducing Belarusian electronic IDs.

The long-term priority are IDs that will prove identity and enable Belarusians to travel, Łatuška added.

On September 6, Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakoŭ told Alaksandr Łukašenka that his ministry had drafted legislation that would allow courts to strip Belarusians of their citizenship.

The legislation targets opposition activists convicted of extremism or causing serious harm to the interests of Belarus. Individuals who lose their citizenship in this way might be banned from traveling to Belarus for up to 30 years.

On September 21, the National Legal Internet Portal published draft amendments to the citizenship law that government submitted to the House of Representatives, the lower house. It lists over 50 criminal offences that can be used as a reason to strip people of their citizenship. Łukašenka may sign the amendments into law after both houses of the National Assembly approve them.