Pavel Latushka: Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Head of the People's Anti-Crisis Management, Ambassador
How many foreigners are in the prison of Lukashenko's regime? Why has Lukashenko taken them hostage? What does he need them for? Why is he negotiating with them? And how is all this related to the sanctions? Today, we will discuss the foreign political prisoners in Lukashenko’s prisons.
Let's start with another question. Why are Belarusian neighboring countries from the EU imposing restrictions at the border? There are several answers to this question: the migration war initiated by Lukashenko with Russia's involvement, the Lukashenko regime's participation in aggression against Ukraine—essentially in the war on the borders of the European Union, the presence of thousands of political prisoners in Belarusian jails, including EU citizens. There can be many answers, but they all share a common characteristic—these are deliberate, targeted, and systemic actions by Lukashenko and his associates, for which only Lukashenko and his associates are responsible.
There is also another significant factor. Both the detention of EU citizens in Belarus, the storming of the borders of EU member states by migrants with the assistance of Lukashenko's security forces, and the recent killing of a Polish soldier at the Poland-Belarus border can be described by one common characteristic. All of these actions pose a threat to the national security of Belarus's neighboring countries. These are actions by the Lukashenko regime that represent a threat to our neighbors.
Foreign citizens, including citizens of EU countries, continue to be held hostage by the regime. Today, citizens of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, as well as Ukraine, the USA, and other countries remain in captivity. According to the human rights center “Vesna” about 25 foreign nationals are now held in places of deprivation of liberty on political grounds. They are persecuted for participating in protests, making comments, passing information to independent media, and even to their relatives abroad, and are also accused of “espionage” and “agent activity.”
Recently, the Belarusian information portal Zerkalo.io published a memo highlighting what foreigners should be prepared for if they wish to take advantage of visa-free entry and what risks and consequences such actions may have. The journalists of the publication note that in Belarus, a foreigner can be taken hostage to later negotiate for the regime’s foreign policy goals—an example being a German citizen; a foreigner will have to seriously reconsider their tastes and wardrobe since wearing clothing and accessories in “incorrect” colors can lead to imprisonment in Belarus; the use of unapproved historical symbols is prohibited; criticism of Lukashenko can easily lead to imprisonment, and even death in captivity.
Furthermore, speaking out against the war is prohibited, as an anti-war stance can also lead to imprisonment, and charity work can be considered support for extremism—resulting in the loss of both money and freedom.
And the obvious question arises: how many foreigners are willing to take such risks? How many are ready to accept Mr. Ryzhenkov’s invitation to become hostages in Belarus, to be traded like commodities?
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