Human rights defenders have previously reported that before deportation, people had their passports and other documents confiscated and were issued temporary papers instead, which do not carry full legal validity. The Lukashenka regime has now taken the next step — effectively stripping individuals of their legal identity. Checks through the official Interior Ministry system show that these passports have been declared invalid.
From the perspective of Belarusian law, such decisions raise serious concerns about their legality. Passport annulment is only permissible on clearly defined grounds and with due procedural safeguards. The mass invalidation of documents on political grounds, without transparent procedures or the possibility of appeal, bears the hallmarks of arbitrary decision-making.
From the standpoint of international law, this may amount to de facto deprivation of citizenship without due process. It creates a risk of statelessness, which is prohibited under international standards. It also violates the right to freedom of movement and the right to legal recognition. Without valid travel documents, former political prisoners may face serious obstacles in regularizing their status in their host countries, as well as risks of detention in third countries.
Important international aspect: Invalidating a passport within Belarus does not automatically render it invalid abroad. Foreign states independently assess the validity of documents. Such passports may still be accepted as proof of identity, particularly in asylum and humanitarian protection procedures.
What this means in practice for former political prisoners:
- significant restrictions on managing property remaining in Belarus, including bank accounts, real estate, and vehicles;
- major obstacles in inheritance procedures;
- limitations on notarial actions, including consent for a minor child to travel abroad;
- risks of detention during border checks, including within the Schengen area where spot checks still occur;
- if information about passport invalidation is shared with international databases, airlines may refuse boarding;
- additional challenges with legal stay, including the need to obtain alien travel documents or alternative identification in the host country.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Leanid Marozau: “The Lukashenka regime is trying to use passports as a tool of pressure and punishment. However, under international law, such actions do not deprive individuals of their rights and should not be automatically recognized by other states. This is a deliberate attempt to make Belarusians more vulnerable outside the country, which is why a consolidated international response is needed.
The question is: what comes next? If a passport becomes an instrument of control, the next step may be to nullify it domestically as well — to ultimately deprive people of freedom of movement and turn the right to leave the country into a privilege granted based on political loyalty”.
The Legal Department of the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya views these actions as a grave violation of international law and another stage of repression aimed at forcing Belarusians into exile and further marginalizing them.
The Lukashenka regime first unlawfully imprisons people on political grounds, then forcibly expels them from the country and strips them of their documents, increasing their vulnerability and dependence. This is a form of transnational repression designed to make it impossible for Belarusians to live safely and with dignity, even outside Belarus.
