The president of the Seimas of Lithuania, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsenn, said that the situation of former Belarusian major Aliaksandr Matsievich, who participated in the repressive measures but obtained a residence permit in Lithuania, does not mean that it is mandatory to impose equivalent sanctions against Belarusians and Russians.
“Taking into account the flow of people, there is a very large burden on the services. There are some cases that, of course, I would like to avoid, but I do not change the principled policy according to which we accept representatives of the Belarusian opposition or simply people fleeing from Lukashenka’s persecution in Lithuania,” said Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen.
Equating sanctions on Belarusians and Russians would mean Lithuania would backtrack on its position on Belarus, the Seimas president said.
“In my opinion, this is not worth doing,” she added. “Examples like this can occur for a variety of reasons. That doesn’t change my opinion about equalization.”
Last year, the Lithuanian Seimas passed a law on restrictive measures against Belarusian and Russian citizens, and fewer restrictions were imposed on Belarusians.
The law expires on May 2, 2024. It can be extended for another year.
Not all Lithuanian politicians agree with Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen. For example, President Gitanas Nausėda says that sanctions against Belarusians and Russians will be the same.
Aliaksandr Matsievich is a Belarusian MP who participated in the suppression of protests in Lydda in 2020. Matsievich also testified in court against one of the protesters, who allegedly ripped the uniform of a law enforcement officer and beat two officials of the Lida district Department of Justice. Internal affairs.
On 1 February, the Lithuanian Migration Service revoked Matsievich’s transit permit.