Rights advocates warn the move could freeze ex-prisoners in legal limbo abroad, blocking travel, residency and complicating family reunification.
The Belarusian authorities have canceled the passports of several former political prisoners who are currently abroad; among them is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.
Human rights organizations call this a new form of pressure on dissidents living in exile.
The consequences of such a move for emigrants and their status
“This is yet another form of transnational repression aimed at making life harder for exiled political prisoners abroad,”
– Bialiatski
Experts explain that revoking current documents creates serious barriers for former prisoners: they lose the ability to travel, to obtain new documents, to legalize their status abroad, or to return home – effectively cementing their exile.
According to human rights defenders, this concerns prisoners who were recently released through the mediation of the United States. Ales Bialiatski was released in December of last year. As previously reported by former Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Ihor Karnay, his passport was canceled on April 3, despite the document’s validity until 2030.
Overall, within the framework of the agreements with the United States, more than 400 political prisoners were released, including well-known opposition figures and human rights defenders; many of them were effectively deported from Belarus. There have been no official comments from the Belarusian authorities regarding the passport cancellations at this time.
This trend underscores human rights advocates’ concerns about the future status and freedom of movement of people who were previously caught up in political repression in Belarus.