Polish writer banned from entering Belarus for 20 years

January 11, BPN. Belarusian border authorities did not allow Polish writer Maja Wolny to enter Belarus on January 9, she told BPN.

They presented her with a document banning her entry until 2042, she added.

The writer, who planned to use the visa waiver program to visit Belarus, said she was shocked by that decision. She had visited Russia just less than three weeks before and had no problems, Wolny noted.

“I am convinced that it [the ban] is linked to my critical texts and comments in the Polish and Belgian media,” she said. “I’ve been traveling around the former Soviet Union for months talking to people. I guess they [Belarusian authorities] didn’t like that I traveled all over Russia right after the call-up of reservists was announced.”

The writer added that she would not appeal the decision. “I’ll wait for the end of this regime, which, I hope, will come sooner than in 20 years,” she said.

Wolny holds a PhD in humanities and is known for her novels and nonfiction works. She is about to complete her new book.