{"id":167422,"date":"2025-12-09T15:53:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T12:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/167422\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"un-experts-condemn-expulsion-of-pardoned-dissidents-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/167422\/","title":{"rendered":"UN experts condemn expulsion of pardoned dissidents from Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (ohchr.org)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

December 9, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> A group of United Nations experts denounced the recent deportation to Lithuania of pardoned Belarusian dissidents, including opposition politicians, media workers and trade unionists, according to a statement issued yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 11, Minsk liberated 52 Belarusian dissidents as part of Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s deal with Washington. All freed people were taken to Lithuania, except for opposition politician Mika\u0142aj Statkievi\u010d, who refused to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities reportedly confiscated passports from 14 persons; one was deported with an expired passport and another had an invalid passport with torn pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe expulsion of the country\u2019s own citizens and the arbitrary confiscation of their identity documents violate several human rights, including the right to a nationality, freedom of movement, and the right not to be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with one\u2019s privacy,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is yet another measure taken by Belarusian authorities which leads to a risk of statelessness,\u201d they added, noting that the 2022 and 2023 legislation allows Minsk to revoke citizenship following in absentia convictions without a fair trial for \u201cextremism\u201d or for causing \u201csevere damage to the interests of Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement also pointed out that the 2023 Belarusian ban on passport services abroad contradicts the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Belarus agreed to ratify these two treaties during its Universal Periodic Review in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe call on the authorities to immediately cease adopting and to revoke all the legislative, regulatory and law-enforcement measures that create a risk of statelessness. This includes the urgent need to amend domestic counter-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation, which is incompatible with international human rights law,\u201d the experts stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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