Officials violate rights of Belarusians with foreign residence permits – Viasna

June 2, BPN. By scanning or photographing Belarusian travelers’ foreign residence permits at the border, Belarusian authorities infringe their rights, the Viasna center has said.

The statement follows media reports of border officials checking residence permits, personal belongings and cell phones, and conducting lengthy interrogations. Some travelers are being detained.

Viasna said that incidents have been reported since the middle of last year.

Demanding foreign residence permits is unlawful because the document required to cross the border is the Belarusian passport, it said.

These checks are the government’s reaction to activism of Belarusians who went into exile after the 2020 presidential election, the human rights center said.

It is likely that the authorities are creating a database of these people, it added.

In the future, they may be deprived of free healthcare and other benefits. They may also be used as targets for official propaganda, Viasna said.

Ivan Tertel, chairman of the Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB), said yesterday that random checks at the border are aimed at identifying those inclined to commit acts of terrorism.