The UN calls for lifting the ban on issuing Belarusian passports abroad

The UN calls for the revision of Aliaksandr Lukashenka's decree, according to which diplomatic missions will no longer issue passports and some other documents to Belarusians abroad. This follows from the organization's message on Twitter.

The UN believes that the decree banning the issuance or renewal of passports abroad risks violating the rights of thousands of Belarusians in exile, including freedom of movement.

"No one should feel pressure to come back and risk being persecuted. We call for the decree to be revised in accordance with international standards," says the message on the Twitter page of the UN Human Rights Office. 

Recall that on September 7, Aliaksandr Lukashenka's decree officially came into force, according to which diplomatic missions will no longer issue passports and some other documents to Belarusians abroad. To receive, exchange or extend the validity of a passport, citizens will have to go to Belarus.

Lukashenka's decree puts exiled citizens at risk

Human Rights Watch calls for providing alternatives to passports to Belarusian citizens in exile