Belarus bans citizens from renewing passports abroad, spreading fear among those who fled repression
Belarus’ authoritarian president banned citizens from renewing their passports while staying abroad, which could force those who fled the country amid growing repression to return to maintain their travel documents TALLINN, Estonia -- Belarus' authoritarian president on Tuesday banned citizens from renewing their pas Sports while staying abroad , which could force those who fled the country amid growing repression to return to maintain their Travel documents. An estimated 200-300,000 Belarusians have left the country in the last three years since massive protests against an election that returned President Alexander Lukashenko to office led to a harsh crackdown on the political opposition. The election results were widely regarded as manipulated. Lukashenko's decree stated that a Belarusian passport can only be renewed where the holder was a registered resident before leaving the country. Opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania after challenging ...