Belarus Authorities Impose Travel Ban For Activists

Anatol Lyabedzka

MINSK -- A travel ban has been imposed on opposition activists and some politicians in Belarus.

A spokesman for the Belarusian State Border Committee, Alyaksandr Tsishchanka, told journalists that all persons who were not permitted to leave the country last week should individually obtain explanations from the Foreign Ministry.

On March 1, the Belarusian Prosecutor-General's Office announced that Belarusians who backed new foreign sanctions aganist Belarus could be barred from traveling abroad.

Three opposition leaders and activists -- Anatol Lyabedzka, Alyaksandr Dabravolski, and Viktar Karnyayenka -- as well as rights defender Valyantsin Stefanovich were not allowed to cross the Belarusian-Lithuanian border between March 7 and 11.

The European Union in February imposed a fresh set of sanctions against the Belarusian regime over its repression of political opponents.

With BelaPAN reports