Belarus denies travel to opposition attorney

[mendeleyev]

Today in the Mendeleyev Journal:


The attorney who represented opposition presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov has been banned from leaving Belarus. Today Marina Kovalevskaya was denied permission to travel internally to Vilnius and her passport was seized and stamped "denied exit from the country" before it was returned to her.

Her client Andrei Sannikov was a 2010 presidential candidate with the second highest percentage of the popular votes after incumbent dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko. Sannikov was incarcerated in the KGB prison in Minsk for peacefully protesting at a demonstration after the elections.

Mr. Sannikov's health was in serious danger and he was pardoned in April of this year after pressure was put on the dictator of Belarus. Sannikov was a former Ambassador to Switzerland and a former Deputy Foreign Minister for Belarus.

Ms. Kovalevskaya and her family were traveling when her passport was seized.

[ML]

Today in the Mendeleyev Journal:


The attorney who represented opposition presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov has been banned from leaving Belarus. Today Marina Kovalevskaya was denied permission to travel internally to Vilnius and her passport was seized and stamped "denied exit from the country" before it was returned to her.

How is it that travel to Vilnius gets classified as 'internally?'

[mendeleyev]

Well unless the map has been redrawn recently, I must thank you for catching that as it should have been "internationally." She wouldn't even have used a foreign passport for internal travel. Thanks, ML!

[CanadaMan]

Today in the Mendeleyev Journal:


The attorney who represented opposition presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov has been banned from leaving Belarus. Today Marina Kovalevskaya was denied permission to travel internally to Vilnius and her passport was seized and stamped "denied exit from the country" before it was returned to her.

 Thanks for posting that Mendy. That is scary stuff indeed.

[LGA]

Good to know.