Has a criminal case been opened in Poland for using the New Belarus passport? No. Here's what is known at the moment
A Belarusian was issued a new residence permit, but it is now being revoked for investigation.
The "Partyzanka" initiative stated that a Belarusian could be deprived of international protection for using the New Belarus passport. And that, allegedly, he could even face criminal prosecution. Belarusian state propagandists eagerly picked up the news, but there is still very little concrete information in the story.
What is known at the moment — from "Partyzanka"'s comments and the speech of its founder, Hanna Matsiyeuskaya, on "Euroradio."
A Belarusian was renewing his residence permit in Poland. Since his passport had expired, he decided to add the New Belarus passport to the package of documents he submitted. His documents were accepted and — moreover — he was even issued a new residence permit.
However, after some time, he received a notification that a procedure to deprive him of international protection in Poland had been initiated. Hanna Matsiyeuskaya believes that Polish officials considered obtaining the passport as a possible interaction with Belarusian state bodies (because they did not realize it was a souvenir document) — which is prohibited when a person seeks international protection.
"At this moment, the person has provided written explanations regarding the situation. Most likely, the procedure for depriving international protection will be stopped," summarizes "Partyzanka."
The talk about possible criminal prosecution of the Belarusian is an arbitrary interpretation by lawyers. At this moment, nothing is known about the initiation of a criminal case.
The New Belarus passport is definitely not an official document that replaces an official passport and cannot be used for identification.
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