{"id":167865,"date":"2025-12-12T15:12:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T12:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/167865\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lithuania-supportive-of-belarusians-despite-legalization-issues-activist","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/167865\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania supportive of Belarusians despite legalization issues – activist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

December 12, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Alona Vo\u0142kava, of the People\u2019s Embassy of Belarus in Vilnius, highlighted legalization issues facing Belarusians in Lithuania, speaking at a conference in the Lithuanian capital on December 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She linked a decline in the number of Belarusians holding residence permits in Lithuania in the last few years to \u201crelocation to other EU countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Belarusians residing in Lithuania obtain humanitarian, work or study-related residence permits, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that under Lithuanian law, asylum can be granted as refugee status and subsidiary protection. However, according to her, Lithuania \u201cdoes not apply subsidiary protection to Belarusians, even though two-thirds formally fall under the criteria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vo\u0142kava noted a relatively long consideration period for asylum requests \u2013 instead of six months stipulated by law, the process takes from 12 to 18 months. She pointed to inconsistent practices among migration offices in different regions of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that many applications are turned down because individuals are seen as a threat to national security, a lack of documents to prove persecution, or because applicants are not public figures or do not \u201cpublicly express their position.\u201d Some requests are rejected because applicants traveled to Belarus, especially after 2022, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Vo\u0142kava, from November 2022 to November 2023, 1,644 Belarusian citizens were categorized as a national security threat in Lithuania; in 2023, the number was 1,421; and in 2024, 598. The decrease, she suggested, may be due to \u201cthe simple fact that there are fewer Belarusians in Lithuania\u201d and to \u201cat-risk individuals leaving Lithuania.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People most often seen as a threat are those whose backgrounds include work in security services (including the Ministry for Emergency Management), employment with the army, government agencies and strategically important enterprises, such as the Belarusian Railways, the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant and major industrial enterprises, or work in other areas heavily influenced by propaganda where employment is possible only with loyalty to state policy (the Academy of Sciences, state banks and plants manufacturing dual-use goods, Vo\u0142kava noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the legalization difficulties, she said, Lithuania has \u201ca very well-functioning simplified humanitarian residence permit procedure, strong support from Lithuanian society and NGOs,\u201d and \u201cactive Belarusian initiatives\u2014schools, media and cultural centers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main difficulties are related to \u201cunequal access to information, lawyers, and attorneys; mobility issues due to the lack of IDs; insufficient psychological support and integration programs; and limited social guarantees for holders of humanitarian residence permits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vo\u0142kava presented her views at the conference \u201cPaths to Accountability: Legal, Psychological, and Migration Consequences of Repression in Belarus,\u201d organized by the human rights organization Pravavaja Inicyatyva and the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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