UN Experts Condemn Belarus for Deporting Citizens and Heightening Statelessness Risk

On 11 September 2025, Belarus released 52 detainees, including opposition politicians, journalists, human rights defenders, and trade unionists, and transported them to the Lithuanian border.

Independent UN human rights experts have strongly condemned the forcible deportation of Belarusian citizens to Lithuania, following the release of dozens of political prisoners under an agreement between Belarus and the United States. The experts warned that these actions constitute serious violations of international human rights law, raising alarming risks of statelessness, arbitrary punishment, and political repression.

Deportation of Released Prisoners Sparks International Outrage

On 11 September 2025, Belarus released 52 detainees, including opposition politicians, journalists, human rights defenders, and trade unionists, and transported them to the Lithuanian border. Although the transfer was conducted under a diplomatic arrangement, it effectively forced these individuals—most of them Belarusian citizens—into involuntary exile.

One prisoner, prominent opposition figure Mikalai Statkevich, refused to cross the border. After declining the forced expulsion, he disappeared, prompting widespread concern about his safety and his whereabouts, which remain unknown.

According to reports submitted to UN experts:

• 14 individuals had their Belarusian identity documents confiscated.

• One person carried an expired passport.

• Another possessed an invalid passport with torn pages.

• Several deportees have since been listed as “extremists”, further restricting their rights and criminalizing their political status.

UN Experts: Belarus Violating Core Human Rights Principles

The independent experts stressed that expelling a country’s own citizens and seizing their identity documents violate fundamental rights, including:

• The right to a nationality

• Freedom of movement

• The right to be free from arbitrary interference and state coercion

• Protections against statelessness, as guaranteed by international law

They described the deportations as part of a broader pattern of repression, citing constitutional and legal amendments adopted in 2022 and 2023. These amendments allow Belarus to revoke citizenship of exiled critics through in absentia convictions, often based on vague allegations of “extremism” or harming state interests—charges widely criticized as tools for silencing dissent.

Policies Increasing the Risk of Statelessness

UN experts highlighted multiple policies contributing to the erosion of citizenship rights in Belarus:

• 2023 Presidential Decree ending the issuance and renewal of passports at Belarusian consulates abroad.

• Laws enabling the stripping of citizenship for political reasons.

• Administrative measures preventing exiled Belarusians from accessing state services or legal documentation.

These practices contradict Belarus’ commitments under the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, both of which the country pledged to ratify during its 2020 Universal Periodic Review.

Experts Demand Immediate Action from Belarusian Authorities

The experts issued a clear call to action:

“We call on the authorities to immediately cease adopting and to revoke all legislative, regulatory, and law-enforcement measures that create a risk of statelessness. This includes the urgent need to amend domestic counter-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation, which is incompatible with international human rights law.”

They urged Belarus to restore access to identity documents, halt politically motivated citizenship revocations, and ensure legal protections for all citizens—especially those facing persecution or exile.

With international scrutiny rising, human rights organizations warn that Belarus’ escalating campaign against political opponents threatens not only individual lives but the future of citizenship rights and civil freedoms in the country.