Cichanoŭskaja’s team calls for support to exiled Belarusians

June 21, BPN. Exiled Belarusians who left their country fearing politically-motivated persecution are a separate group that needs specific assistance, said Kryścina Rychter, a legal adviser to opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.

Commenting on a report by Luxembourg’s politician Paul Galles, she noted the need of humanitarian visas, facilitation of travel and legalization procedures, as well as better access to jobs and education.

The report provides guidelines for the Council of Europe (CoE) and can be used to “lobby for interests of Belarusians in different countries,” including the European Union and other CoE members, Rychter said.

Cichanoŭskaja’s team, opposition and Belarusian diasporas will continue their campaign to defend the rights of exiled Belarusians, she stressed.

Galles presented his report on June 20 at the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Its members adopted a resolution recommending that CoE members distinguish between Alaksandr Łukašenka’s regime and its opponents and calling for new legal instruments to support Belarusian émigrés.