{"id":93361,"date":"2024-06-30T14:07:19","date_gmt":"2024-06-30T11:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/93361\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"%d0%b2-%d0%bc%d0%b8%d0%bd%d1%81%d0%ba%d0%b5-%d0%b7%d0%b0-%d0%be%d1%80%d0%b3%d0%b0%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%b7%d0%b0%d1%86%d0%b8%d1%8e-%d0%bd%d0%b5%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%b3%d0%b0%d0%bb%d1%8c%d0%bd%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%bc","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/93361\/","title":{"rendered":"Two foreigners convicted of human trafficking in Minsk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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June 30, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> A judge in Minsk has sentenced two foreign nationals to prison terms on charges of organizing illegal migration, Minsk-Novosti <\/em>reported.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One was given four years in prison and a 20,000-rubel fine (about $6,320); and the other, three and a half years in prison and a fine of 12,000 rubels ($3,790).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk-Novosti <\/em>does not report on the convicts’ citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both were members of a gang that earned money by facilitating the illegal stay of at least 60 migrants in Belarus, case files said. Migrants reportedly were planning to cross illegally into the European Union later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gang members smuggled foreigners into Belarus and organized their stay in Minsk, Assistant Prosecutor Julija \u0141uho\u016dskaja noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian law enforcers allow migrants to stay close to the border and do not stop them from crossing illegally into the EU, despite occasionally reporting some arrests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of June, the number of illegal Belarus-EU border crossing attempts has exceeded 4,000. Poland remained the primary target as its border guards thwarted 3,610 illegal border crossings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Foreign Minister Rados\u0142aw Sikorski said that Warsaw was considering closing all crossings with Belarus in response to a surge in illegal migration. Poland also enacted a 90-day border area entry ban on June 13 which reportedly helped reduce illegal border crossings by 30 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The migration crisis at the Belarusian-EU border started in spring 2021 after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent migrants from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU. It escalated in November 2021, with hundreds of migrants storming the Polish border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2021, the Belarusian government announced the suspension of a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions that followed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baltic states and Poland accused Belarusian authorities of creating the trouble, while the latter blamed it on the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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