In Belarus, officials will be able to travel abroad only with permission from Lukashenko

In Belarus, senior officials will be able to go abroad only after being approved by self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko.

Source: legal portal of Belarus, news.zerkalo.io

Details: In Belarus, the law "On the procedure for leaving Belarus and entering Belarus for citizens of the Republic of Belarus" was changed.

Amendments to this law were published on 16 May, and they were signed by the self-proclaimed president Alexander Lukashenko.

The ban applies to "political administrators", and it will be possible to leave the country with the permission of the KGB.

The KGB of Belarus will be able to limit the international travel not only of those who are on preventive registration in the state security bodies, but also of those whose "departure is contrary to the interests of the national security of Belarus".

The ban can be imposed for up to six months. The information on who will fall into this category and on what grounds is not reported.

Departure will also be prohibited for those persons "under an administrative process for committing administrative offences against the management order – to ensure the execution of the judge's decision on the imposition of an administrative penalty in the form of a fine".

Previously, debtors from Belarus were also not allowed to leave, but this applied to those who had received a fine and not paid it off. At present, departure will be prohibited for those subject to an administrative process for which the court is yet to make a decision.

"Offences against administrative order" include "political" articles of the Criminal Code of Administrative Offences: disobedience to a legal order or demand of an official during the performance of their official powers, violation of the order of organising or holding mass events, etc.

Senior officials can only go abroad after being approved by Lukashenko.

Namely:

• Heads of oblasts’ and Minsk city executive committees;
• Head of the Security Service of the President of Belarus;
• Head of the Operational Analytical Centre under the President of Belarus;
• Head of the State Security Committee,
• Minister of Internal Affairs;
• Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• Minister of Defence;
• Minister of Emergency Situations;
• Head of the State Border Committee;
• Head of the State Customs Committee;
• Head of the Investigative Committee;
• Head of the State Committee for Forensic Examinations;
• Head of the State Inspection for the Protection of Animal and Plant Life.

The departure from Belarus of "heads of state bodies, as well as heads of state organisations and employees who provide for the operation and maintenance of state bodies, who are granted access to state secrets," will have to be allowed by the government.

The departure of security forces abroad will be "determined by a local legal act" of the relevant departments. Presumably, they will have a fixed norm "under agreement with the management".

This will apply to military personnel, employees, workers and civilian personnel of military formations and paramilitary organisations of Belarus, namely: The Armed Forces of Belarus; bodies of the border service; internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs; state security agencies; transport troops; security services of the President of Belarus; Operational Analytical Centre under the President of Belarus; financial investigation bodies of the State Control Committee; Investigative Committee; State Committee of Forensic Examinations; bodies of internal affairs; bodies and units for emergencies; the State Inspection for the Protection of Animal and Plant Life under the President of Belarus; State Field Service under the Ministry of Communications and Informatization.

The law also states that they may be denied departure from the country "to ensure the interests of national security until the circumstances preventing their departure are terminated".

In addition, if this category of persons has a biometric passport for the service period, they are obliged to hand it over to the personnel service of their organisation.

Travel restrictions for officials and law enforcement officers will enter into force six months after the official publication of this law.

Other regulations will enter into force after the official publication of this law.

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