US condemns Belarus prohibition on renewing passports for citizens abroad

The U.S. State Department on Thursday condemned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government's prohibition on the renewal of passports for its citizens abroad.

"The Lukashenka regime’s decision to stop providing overseas passport services harms thousands of Belarusians living abroad and is the latest in a long line of cynical rejections by the regime of its basic obligations to its people," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.