National regulations governing the foreign travel of the Belarusian citizens «stipulate clearly who may be prohibited from travelling abroad,» Yury Lyancheuski, Deputy Head of the Сitizenship and Migration Department subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said. «No [database] expanding has been made in view of recent political or some other grounds,» he stated.
Commenting on the ban notification procedure, Mr. Lyancheuski said that police do not send a note to a person on the travel ban list. «Citizens do have the right to apply to our officers. A person may obtain a document stating whether he is on the database or not on the same day that he applies for it. But it is not the green light to cross the border. New information may come while the person is travelling to the border, and border guards take into account electronic database, not documents.»
As it was reported before, the persons who call on foreign states and international organizations to impose economic and other sanctions towards Belarus may be subjected to a temporary ban on foreign travel and even to criminal prosecution, Pavel Radzivonau, a departmental head at the Prosecutor General’s Office, told reporters in Minsk on March 1, 2012.
In March, 2012 opposition politicians Valery Ukhnaliou, Anatol Liabedzka, Aliaksandr Dabravolski, Siarhei Kalyakin, Viktar Karnyayenka, Stanislau Shushkevich, Vintsuk Viachorka, human rights defenders Valyantsin Stefanovich, Aleh Volchak, Aleh Hulak, Harry Pahaniayla, Andrey Bandarenka, journalists Mikhas Yanchuk, Zhanna Litvina, Andrey Dynko were prohibited from travelling abroad. No explanations were given by Belarusian border officers; they merely referred the blacklisted to the Citizenship and Migration Department.
The Belarusian president admitted that the list of people banned from leaving the Republic of Belarus does exist. Being interviewed by TV Channel Russia Today Aliaksandr Lukashenka said: «We have established [this list – Belsat]. But it has not still brought into action. We have not put it in full force. But we will.» He accused oppositionists of urging Europe to impose economic sanctions on Belarusian officials, businessmen and enterprises: «It is them who toss up names, organizations, enterprises to the West and insist on introducing economic sanctions. It is them.»
Belsat
