{"id":181761,"date":"2026-03-31T18:59:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/181761\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:59:18","slug":"cichanouskajas-team-sounds-alarm-over-dissident-passport-annulments","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/181761\/","title":{"rendered":"Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s team sounds alarm over dissident passport annulments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

March 31, <\/strong>Pozirk.<\/strong> <\/em>Minsk\u2019s decision to annul the passports of dissidents released from prisons in a deal with Washington and taken out of Belarus violates international law, said lawyers from the legal team of Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe [Alaksandar] \u0141uka\u0161enka regime is attempting to use passports as a tool for pressure and punishment,\u201d the politician\u2019s press office quoted her legal advisor Leanid Maroza\u016d as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under international law, such actions do not strip individuals of their rights and should not be automatically recognized by other states, Maroza\u016d noted. He described Minsk\u2019s move as a deliberate attempt to make Belarusians vulnerable abroad, stressing the need for a consolidated international reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annulment of passports can be possible only on clearly defined grounds, the lawyers noted. The mass revocation of documents \u201cfor political reasons, without a transparent procedure or the possibility of appeal, indicates signs of an arbitrary decision,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk\u2019s actions may amount to a de facto deprivation of citizenship without due process, creating a risk of statelessness prohibited under international law. Similar measures violate the right to freedom of movement creating serious obstacles for former prisoners in legalizing their stay abroad, including possible detention in third countries, Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s legal team warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anulment of passports represents \u201canother stage of reprisals aimed at expelling and further marginalizing Belarusians,\u201d it noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported that former prisoners liberated in Minsk\u2019s deals with Washington in September and December 2025 had their passports annulled. Former prisoners learned about it after checking their status in the interior ministry\u2019s database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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