Foreign Travel Restrictions to Dashkevich, Shyla and Liabedzka

On Saturday, 2 February the Belarusian border guards did not let abroad the leader of the Young Front Zmitser Daskhevich and a Salihorsk member of this organization Ivan Shyla. 

‘I was going to Lithuania to clear some issues concerning my study in the pedagogical university of Vilnius. I was also to have met with my friends. On the border I was told to return back, because I was in the list of the persons to whom temporary restrictions of foreign travels were applied. They did not explain the reasons and advised to apply to Kastrychnitski district court of Minsk, by which I had been sentenced to 18 months of jail. I will do it this week and in the case this situation repeats I will appeal to court against the unlawfulness of such restrictions,’ commented Zmitser Dashkevich. ‘To my mind, there is an order, according to which all Young Front members who stood criminal trials, must not be let abroad’, he added. 

An hour later at the same crossing point another Young Front activist, Ivan Shyla, was not let abroad as well. 

‘Aliaksei Valanuyeu and I were driving to Vilnius as tourists. I was taken to the head of the crossing point, who told that I was banned to go abroad. They even put a seal into my passport to mark this prohibition there. Valabuyeu went to Lithuania and I had nothing to do but hitchhike back home,’ commented Ivan Shyla.

The same seal was put in the passport of the head of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka, who was going to Lithuania to meet with the deputies of the Lithuanian Parliament. 

Bear in mind that in the beginning of 2008 the leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka was informed that he is temporary banned to leave the country because of a criminal case against him. The case was brought in 2004, under article 367, part 2 of the Criminal Code (defamation of the president of Belarus) after his interview on the Russia TV channel and an article in the Narodnaya Volia newspaper concerning the ‘shadow budget’ and arms trade.

Now Liabedzka intends to personally meet with the Prosecutor General Piatro Miklashevich and the Minister of Interior Uladzimir Navumau to ‘listen to their commentaries concerning this situation’. He also discussed the unlawful obstacles to foreign travels with the ambassadors of France and the US, who assured him that this questions would be raised in the dialogue of the EU and the US with the official Minsk.