Anatol Kotau: Exit Visa System Returns To Belarus

Only in a distorted way.

Belarus has changed the law “On the Procedure for Departure from the Republic of Belarus and Entry into the Republic of Belarus of Citizens of the Republic of Belarus”. Additional restrictions were imposed on security officers and senior officials.

Anatol Kotau, a former employee of Lukashenka's administration and administration, told the Charter97.org website why the Minsk regime needed this.

— This procedure has been in effect for a long time, and none of the top officials or even “deputies” are allowed to go abroad without consent. Everyone has been coordinating departures since time immemorial, probably since the formation of Lukashenka's administration, because the financing of such trips comes not through the budgets of organizations, but through the administration. Therefore, every trip of top officials, senior officials or “deputies” was coordinated with Lukashenka for a very long time. Nobody goes anywhere just like that.

— Does this refer to security officers as well?

— Everyone had their own order, but by default, at least without the consent of the leadership of the security organization, being it the Ministry of Defense, the State Security Committee or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, no one could leave either.

— What is the danger for the regime if a conditional district police officer from the city of Slutsk goes to Bialystok for shopping?

— It's not like a danger, but just the possibility of potential recruitment, luring to the other side. Such orders have been functioning for a long time, you cannot go anywhere without prior permission. Another thing is that earlier this may not have been much advertised, it was written somewhere at the level of by-laws. Now it's made a law.

— Should we expect that the border may be closed for other categories of Belarusians?

— Firstly, those liable for military service appear in a large risk zone. The second category is “politically unreliable”, because now the KGB has very wide powers to close the exit. These powers were introduced precisely by this law, such very vague criteria for a threat to national security, which can be anything. Based on the last three years, it could even be some kind of white-red-white or blue-yellow avatar. Anything can now be perceived as a threat to national security. In fact, the system is returning in a somewhat distorted form, when there were exit visas, and later it was simply necessary to obtain international passports or simply passports with the stamp “Exit allowed”.

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