Minsk reports dismantling migrant trafficking gang

August 1, Pozirk. Belarus’ interior ministry has reported dismantling a migrant trafficking gang.

According to the ministry, four men from the Middle East had lived in Belarus without registration for two years, trafficking migrants from South Asian countries via Russia to Belarus and then helping them cross the border into the European Union outside official checkpoints through forests and across rivers.

In May and June, the gang smuggled at least 19 Afghan nationals, charging between $150 and $400 per crossing.

The suspects have been charged and are in police custody.

Belarusian law enforcement agencies also reported crackdowns on migrant trafficking gangs in July, May and March this year.

The reports came despite Alaksandar Łukašenka’s claim that Belarusian security agencies would not prevent undocumented migrants from traveling to the EU through Belarus unless the bloc lifted sanctions imposed on his regime.

In June 2021, the Belarusian government suspended a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions imposed after the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland describe the migration crisis as a “hybrid attack” orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow. Authorities in these countries suspect Belarusian security agencies of involvement in facilitating irregular migration.

On July 31, Lithuanian border guards said they had prevented 40 third-country nationals from crossing the border outside official checkpoints.

According to Pozirk’s analysis, that was the highest number of attempted illegal crossings on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border in the past 96 days.

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Latvia closes only operating checkpoint at border with Belarus

August 1, Pozirk. Latvia has closed the last operating checkpoint at the border with Belarus citing “technical reasons.” Latvian media reported computer systems failure at the Patarnieki-Hryhoraŭščyna checkpoint, citing Kristine Petersone, a spokeswoman for the State Border Guard. Notably, Interior …

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