Belarusian Border Guards Don’t Let out Union of Poles Activist

According to RFE/RL

The activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus (unrecognized by the authorities) Anzhalika Arekhva was going to Bialystok on UPB affairs. She bought a ticket to the Polish town of Kuznica Bialystocka. The customs officers thoroughly examined her belongings and let forward. Then the border guards took away Arekhva’s passport.

-- They said they doubted the seal that permitted me to go abroad was true. It was made express in the regional passport and visa service. The border guards said I lived in Lida according to the registration seal standing in my passport. They asked why I had my permissive seal put in the regional service and why express, said they doubted it was true and needed to verify this information, -- said Anzhalika Arekhva.

She used to be the director of the public school of the Union of Poles in Belarus. Before that only one UPB activist was prohibited to go abroad. It was Andrei Pachobut, editor of Magazyn Polski. The passport and visa service annulled his seal on the basis of the court verdict. The court ruled to do it for alleged evasion from payment of the fine of 5,1 million rubles to which the journalist was sentenced for participation in the picket in support of Glos znad Niemna newspaper.