{"id":200355,"date":"2026-08-18T17:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/200355\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T17:01:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:01:40","slug":"lithuanian-business-executive-arrested-in-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/200355\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian business executive arrested in Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (pixabay.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

August 18, <\/strong>Pozirk<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>A Lithuanian executive at a major Austrian-owned woodworking company in the Hrodna region was arrested in Belarus this past June for allegedly supplying defective components to Russia and Belarus, LRT <\/em>reported<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vytautas Slankauskas, who was HS Belacon (Belacon Timber)\u2019s internal audit chief, had previously served for three years as the company\u2019s chief executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slankauskas was recruited by Austrian investors from Timber Group because of his experience overseeing the construction of large industrial plants in Lithuania and Belarus, LRT <\/em>said. In the past, he worked as a manager at Western Wood Group and Mebelain, a Mahilo\u016d-based furniture company founded by Lithuania\u2019s SBA Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based in the Svis\u0142a\u010d district, HS Belacon is a resident of the Hrodnainvest Free Economic Zone. In 2020, state media reported that foreign investment in HS Belacon twas estimated at roughly \u20ac84 million, and that the company aims to process \u201chundreds of thousands of cubic meters of timber per year\u201d and export its products. The manufacturer was said to employ around 230 staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights defenders reported in March that Lithuania\u2019s citizen Miroslavas Trockis had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in Belarus on espionage charges. In the fall of 2024, the 35-year-old Trockis reportedly came to Belarus to visit relatives but was arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on Slankauskas\u2019 arrest, Lithuanian political analyst Vytis Jurkonis said that he was not the first Lithuanian businessperson working in Belarus to be imprisoned and warned that anyone traveling or working there should carefully assess the risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not the first case, and I am afraid it will not be the last,\u201d Jurkonis said. \u201cIt does not matter what kind of capital the company has or what kind of business it is. No one can protect you there because Belarus is not a rule of law state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jurkonis recalled the 2021 forced landing of a Ryanair passenger flight in Minsk and the seizure of Lithuanian-owned long-haul trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania\u2019s foreign ministry reiterated its recommendation that Lithuanian citizens should not travel to Belarus and urged those currently in the country to leave immediately, LRT <\/em>said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Belarus\u2019 State Border Committee, 7,213 residents of European countries entered Belarus visa-free between August 10 and August 16, including 2,354 citizens of Lithuania, up from 2,164 over the previous week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the introduction of short-term visa-free travel for Lithuanians on 15 April 2022, Belarus has reportedly hosted 716,633 citizens of Lithuania.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"
\n

Belarus sentences Lithuanian man to 15 years in prison on spying charges<\/h3>\n
March 31, Pozirk. Lithuanian national Miroslavas Trockis was given 15 years in prison in Belarus, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports, citing Dissidentby. The 35-year-old man was found guilty on charges of espionage and spying activities. \u00a0In the fall of …<\/div>\n \n