{"id":162156,"date":"2025-10-29T18:22:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T15:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/162156\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"opposition-politician-advocates-for-exiled-belarusians-rights-at-coe-event","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/162156\/","title":{"rendered":"Opposition politician advocates for exiled Belarusians\u2019 rights at CoE event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\n Iryna Cha\u0142opica (second from the left)\n <\/div>\n \n
\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

October 29, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>The massive relocation of Belarusians has been driven by the Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka regime’s targeted campaign of violence and reprisals since 2020, Iryna Cha\u0142opica has told the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The politician, a member of the Coordination Council and head of the Belarusian pro-democracy forces’ delegation, made this statement at a side event in Strasbourg during the 49th session of the Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExiled Belarusians have been denied the opportunity to obtain or renew their passports,\u201d she said, citing a 2023 decree by \u0141uka\u0161enka that bars Belarusian consulates abroad from issuing or renewing passports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn doing so, the regime is effectively forcing Belarusians to return to a country where they face a serious risk of persecution,\u201d Cha\u0142opica said, noting that tens of thousands of exiles now face legal status issues and live in fear of deportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis policy, initially aimed at punishing political opponents, has also deliberately created administrative difficulties for the host countries where these Belarusians reside,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cecilia Dalman Eek, president of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress, pledged to help local authorities identify practical, human rights-based solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not merely a question of migration policy or management,\u201d she stressed. \u201cThese people are not economic migrants; they are political exiles seeking protection from an authoritarian regime that has systematically dismantled the rule of law and persecutes any form of dissent or perceived opposition. This is therefore a matter of democracy, human rights and the rule of law \u2014 the very values the Council of Europe is mandated to uphold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is one of the key institutions at the Council of Europe alongside the Committee of Ministers and PACE, comprising governors, mayors and local politicians from 46 CoE member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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