Over the past four years, more than half a million Belarusians have sought refuge outside their homeland, fleeing the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko. However, their escape from Belarus does not necessarily mean an escape from intimidation and threats.
Dziana Maiseyenka, 28, experienced this firsthand when she was detained without warning while crossing the border from Armenia to Georgia. Authorities informed her that Minsk had issued an international arrest warrant for her on charges of “organizing mass unrest.” This chilling experience mirrors the fate of many Belarusians abroad, who find themselves targeted by Lukashenko’s regime.
The regime’s crackdown on dissent extends beyond Belarus’s borders. Opposition leaders in exile say Lukashenko is intensifying pressure on Belarusians abroad to prevent a repeat of the mass protests that erupted following the 2020 election, which was widely denounced as rigged. The aim is to silence any potential support for the opposition from outside the country.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lukashenko’s main challenger in 2020, now living in exile in Lithuania, asserts that Belarus has launched a systematic campaign against dissidents abroad. Her office receives hundreds of requests for assistance each month from Belarusians abroad facing criminal charges in their homeland.
The tactics employed by the regime are varied and unsettling. Exiles report their identity documents being invalidated, relatives facing pressure at home, and even receiving direct threats. Belarusian sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, who sought asylum in Poland after the Tokyo Olympics, revealed that she received threatening messages in Warsaw, including one stating that “they would rip my stomach open if I went outside.”
The Belarusian KGB has been accused of infiltrating the diaspora, conducting surveillance, and even recording protests abroad to initiate criminal cases back home. This relentless pursuit of dissent has prompted the opposition to establish “people’s embassies” in 24 countries to provide support and representation for Belarusians abroad. However, these efforts have been met with a hostile response from the Belarusian government, which has declared them extremist groups and criminalized cooperation with them.
The situation for Belarusians abroad is precarious. Many face the agonizing choice of returning to Belarus to renew their passports, risking arrest and imprisonment, or remaining abroad, potentially losing their citizenship. The regime’s actions have created a climate of fear and uncertainty, highlighting the urgent need for international solidarity and support for Belarusian exiles.
The international community must stand united against the Lukashenko regime’s intimidation tactics and ensure that Belarusians seeking refuge abroad find safety and protection. The fight for human rights and democracy in Belarus continues, extending beyond the country’s borders and demanding a global response.
