The Regime Makes Belarusians Hostages of Its Poor Relations with the West. But the West Isn’t Always Discerning

The Lukashenka regime is trying to justify the latest restrictions on the rights of Belarusians abroad by offering a trade-off: reducing sanctions pressure in exchange for allowing Belarusian citizens to renew and extend their passports at foreign missions. Meanwhile, Belarusians in exile continue to face challenges with legalization in European countries. In some high-profile cases, the intervention of democratic forces has helped, but in less visible instances, the decisions are often not in favor of Belarusians. This highlights the lack of systematic mechanisms for protecting Belarusian citizens in exile.

At a session of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva, Belarus’ Permanent Representative Larisa Belskaya claimed that the authorities deprived Belarusians of the ability to replace and/or extend the validity of their passports abroad due to sanctions imposed on the country by the West. She argued that because of these restrictions, identity documents could not always be delivered on time to Belarusian embassies abroad. Allegedly, this is why Minsk decided that those wishing to extend their passports must return to Belarus to handle the formalities.

In this way, Belskaya attempted to shift the blame for the Lukashenka regime’s decision, which restricts the rights of Belarusians, onto Western countries. She added that this measure might be temporary and could be lifted over time.

However, Belarusian embassies and consulates still use diplomatic mail to send documents, even despite the sanctions, as this process is guaranteed by the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations. Similarly, Belarusian foreign missions can also receive passports through these channels.

Therefore, this framing of the issue should not be seen as a signal from the regime about readiness to negotiate with the West, but rather as an attempt to justify yet another violation of its citizens’ rights.

Meanwhile, the situation for Belarusians in exile remains dire. A striking example is the case of the deportation of a mother and son from Sweden to Belarus, where the man was immediately detained at the Belarusian border.

In response, Belarusian democratic forces in exile have called on Western partners to impose a moratorium on the deportation of Belarusians. This would prevent actions that could lead to tragic consequences for citizens who participated in protests, given that repression continues in Belarus and there is no functioning justice system.

Another notable instance is the European Commission’s intervention in Serbia’s case involving Belarusian director and journalist Andrei Gnet, who faces extradition to Belarus.

Thus, systematic mechanisms have yet to be established to guarantee Belarusians in exile protection in European countries from extradition or deportation, as well as to provide effective tools for legalization. High-profile cases still require separate interventions by democratic forces, while in less prominent cases, Belarusians are left to face their problems alone.