PACE says hundreds of thousands have fled Belarus since August 2020

January 27, BPN. Between 200,000 and 500,000 people have fled Belarus since August 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) says.

The PACE’s committee on migration tasked Luxembourg’s politician Paul Galles with preparing a report on “addressing the specific challenges faced by the Belarusians in exile.”

On January 24, the committee exchanged views with Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s legal adviser Kryścina Rychter and Vałdzis Fuhaš, founder of the Belarusian human rights organization Human Constanta.

“The exchange of views was the opportunity to highlight the situation of Belarusian displaced. Indeed, mass exodus that has unfolded over the past couple of years due to large-scale repression has been overlooked in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Still, the context remains of grave concern and is getting worse,” the PACE said.

Rychter and Fuhaš pointed at the obstacles faced by Belarusian emigrants in obtaining visas and residence permits, accessing physical and mental health care, and managing businesses from abroad. They called for simpler procedures for refugees and regulatory mechanisms “beyond conventional schemes.”

The PACE is expected to hear Galles’ report in October.