Lukashenko Bans Freed and Expelled Belarusians from Returning
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has prohibited Belarusian citizens who have been released from prison and expelled from the country from returning to their homeland. According to the head of state, one of the conditions for their release was that they must leave the country.
Details of the recent pardon of another group of prisoners were shared by Lukashenko on 18 December during the second session of the VII All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. He stated that a letter, delivered to him by the US Special Envoy for Belarus, John Coale, on behalf of US President Donald Trump, contained a proposal that the convicted individuals, once pardoned by the President, should remain in Belarus.
The head of state categorically disagreed with this condition. «No, no, lads, take them over there and deal with them there,» was how the Belarusian President relayed his response to the Americans.
«It was them who asked. Here are these 15, and the rest? They say they’re not interested. One feels sorry for these people, these 100, 200, or 1000, as they say. To some extent, they broke the law, but they are bewildered. But these ones are the ringleaders. They could have been kept in. Some of them are still with us,» said Lukashenko.
In his opinion, if these freed people had stayed in Belarus, «in about a year or two» they «would be creating problems for you here.» «And for me, too,» added the President, emphasising that the border of Belarus is now closed to them.
«Well, let them set up an extra office in Germany, fight for grants, fight for money in Brussels. Let them fight. Is that harmful to us? No. Let them fight. They won’t come to us,» declared the head of state.
It is recalled that following the recent visit of Coale to Minsk, Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 123 citizens of various countries previously convicted of «espionage, terrorist, and extremist activity.» Among those released were Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, as well as Maria Kolesnikova and Viktor Babaryko. The list of the released also includes Maksim Znak and Marina Zolotova.