We at “Exiles” have long been saying that Lithuania is declaring Belarusian citizens a threat to national security en masse. The reason for such a decision is often work at a Belarusian state enterprise or compulsory military service. Lithuania’s migration authorities are convinced that such people are loyal to Lukashenko’s regime and may be recruited by its intelligence services.
SOTA asked our lawyers, Mikhail Benyash and Dmitry Zakhvatov, to talk about this problem from a legal standpoint. They explained:
— how a political narrative raises the requirements for foreigners in Lithuania
— how the “forward-looking threat assessment” works
— how the “potential threat” construct came to be applied not only to people linked to terrorists and extremists, but also to citizens of Belarus and Russia
— how a lathe operator, a welder, an aircraft mechanic and a cashier were declared a threat to national security for having worked at state enterprises in Belarus or Russia
— how the standard of protection depends on whether a person is applying for a visa, holds a residence permit, or is a long-term resident of the European Union
— what else migration authorities and courts take into account when deciding to declare a person a threat
— what to do if you have been declared a threat to national security
— and why it is important to challenge decisions and file complaints with the European Court of Human Rights
Watch the interview here.
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