A Belarusian received international protection in Poland, but travels to his homeland

Kirill told Most why he returns home, if he's not afraid, and if he feels no remorse.

In August 2020, Kirill participated in peaceful protest actions in Belarus. After one of them, he was detained. The court sentenced him to 14 days of administrative arrest, which, according to the man, he spent at Akrestsina.

In autumn 2020, Kirill came to Poland. A few months later, he received subsidiary protection — one of the forms of international protection. It is granted to a foreigner who does not meet the conditions for obtaining refugee status, but in the event of returning to the country of origin may face a real risk of serious harm — for example, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

For several years, Kirill did not travel to Belarus.

Acquaintances traveled — everything was fine

The idea of returning appeared to Kirill when he learned that some of his acquaintances, who also have international protection, had traveled to Belarus and returned safely.

— They traveled successfully. I became interested in this topic because I wanted to visit relatives, — Kirill says.

Before his first trip, he found out that he was not on the Belarusian or Russian wanted lists. Then he started asking acquaintances about possible routes.

Kirill did not want to travel directly from Poland to Belarus. The first time, he traveled from Poland by bus to the Czech Republic. From there, he reached Tbilisi by plane, then flew to Moscow's Vnukovo airport.

From Moscow, he traveled by land transport to Belarus, and then to his hometown in Belarus. Such a route took him about a day.

Kirill admits that he was nervous before his first trip. He was particularly worried during document checks when boarding the plane. He tries not to use a bank card in Belarus.

He takes cash euros with him, exchanges them in Belarus, and pays with cash. Kirill takes his own phone, but before the trip, according to his expression, he cleans it. He does not specify exactly what he deletes from the device.

Despite his fears, the first trip went without incident. Kirill returned to Warsaw by a similar route.

Later he traveled to Belarus one more time — this time through Turkey. This trip also went smoothly. Acquaintances also told him about a route through Kazakhstan, but Kirill himself has not tried it yet.

«And why should I be deprived?»

Kirill does not understand the possibility of losing international protection due to trips to Belarus.

— And why should I be deprived? If such a possibility exists and no one controls it, why should this be taken away? — he says.

At the same time, Kirill does not travel directly across the Polish-Belarusian border. He explains that he still fears new persecution in Belarus and therefore does not want to take risks.

If his travels become known

Migration lawyer Iryna Varachkova says that trips can become a reason to initiate the procedure for withdrawing international protection.

— If it becomes known now, they can initiate a case for withdrawing international protection, — she says.

This does not mean that after a trip is discovered, a person will automatically lose subsidiary protection. Polish legislation provides for its withdrawal, in particular, if the circumstances due to which the protection was granted have ceased or changed to such an extent that it is no longer required. Moreover, the changes must be significant and lasting.

— That is, in Kirill's case, the Polish authorities would have to assess the circumstances of his case and decide whether the grounds for the protection granted to him still exist, — she adds.

They might ask about trips even years later

The lawyer says there is another point that Kirill, apparently, does not take into account.

A person who has continuously resided in Poland for at least five years due to having been granted subsidiary protection, provided other conditions are met, can apply for permanent residency — pobyt stały.

In the official application for pobyt stały, there is a separate section «Foreign trips and stays outside the territory of the Republic of Poland over the last five years». One must specify the country and period of stay.

— There you list all trips for the past five years and sign that you have been warned about criminal liability, — says Iryna Varachkova.

According to her, traces of trips can also remain in other places — for example, in a phone or bank transactions.

«Everyone should think for themselves»

When the conversation with Kirill turns to whether he feels any remorse because stories like his could increase the Polish system's distrust of other Belarusians' cases, he initially doesn't understand the question.

— Everyone should think for themselves, — he then says.

The explanation that for some Belarusians, returning home is indeed associated with the risk of detention and criminal prosecution, and that stories of protection recipients who voluntarily travel to Belarus could potentially raise additional questions when other applications are considered, makes the young man ponder.

— Well, yes, — Kirill replies.

In 2027, he will go for a passport

But Kirill is not going to stop. In early 2027, he plans another trip to Belarus: his Belarusian passport expires, and the man wants to get a new one.

Kirill knows that a person with subsidiary protection in Poland can obtain a Polish foreign travel document. But this possibility does not satisfy him.

— The travel document is valid for one year. According to acquaintances, one now has to wait a long time for it. In Belarus, with expedited processing, I expect to receive a passport valid for ten years in approximately two weeks, — the young man explains.

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