Belarus has banned its nationals from leaving the country by land, citing the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic. Some public opinion fears that Lukashenko’s authorities will further intensify their crackdown on dissidents.
Belarus declared ten days ago that it was closing its borders to all nationals leaving the country by land from Sunday to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus epidemic. But some public opinion sees this as a prelude to an intensified crackdown on the anti-Lukashenko movement.
In an online article published on Sunday (December 20, 2020), our RFI French website quoted Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa, a female leader of the Belarusian opposition camp in exile, as saying that Belarus is turning into a gulag and the people are suffering from the Iron Curtain of repression. The Belarusian opposition leader also said through her encrypted social network Télégram account that the new restrictions on movement are not related to the epidemic and are aimed at anti-Lukashenko protests.
Border closures to prevent dissidents’ exodus
The Belarusian opposition leader believes that the authorities are trying to prevent other dissidents from fleeing abroad to escape the crackdown, as she did. She herself settled down in Lithuania several months ago. The real measure to fight the Covid-19 virus is to close the borders and restrict the entry of travelers from abroad. Belarus currently takes the opposite measure, only prohibiting Belarusians from leaving the country by land. Meanwhile, air transport remains open, as does the movement of truck drivers. Moreover, the Minsk authorities have not specified a specific period of time for maintaining the new measures.
Belarus sees brain drain
Belarus has seen a brain drain since the outbreak of the protest movement. There is an increasing number of people leaving for Ukraine or other Baltic countries.
Recent Comments