24/06/2021
22-6-2021 Lithuanian-Belarusian border
The arrival of 58 refugees, mostly Iraqis, was stopped by the Lithuanian guards at the Lithuanian border with Belarus in the form of groups in separate areas of the Lithuanian border with Belarus, specifically in the Lithuanian Vosiūnai region, which is located directly on the border with Belarus, in the Švenčionys region, five kilometers from the Belarus border, and in the village of Strilungiai on the border . The refugees were transferred to a camp in the city of Babrady, where the official refugee camp is located
. The Iraqis applied for asylum to the Lithuanian guards, who transferred them to quarantine camps designated for refugees flocking to the border. See details and photos in the link below
In the Ignalina district, two more groups of illegal immigrants were detained by border guards, and in the Švenčionys district
- one. A total of 58 foreigners were arrested, among whom, according to preliminary data, 54 may be Iraqi citizens and 4 Sri Lankans. All of them applied for asylum in Lithuania.
On Monday afternoon, Tverečius border guard officers of the SBGS Vilnius border team arrested 12 illegal immigrants who had just violated the Belarusian border in the village of Vosiūnai in the Ignalina region. Almost all foreigners had documents confirming Iraqi citizenship and had applied for asylum in Lithuania.
On Tuesday, just after midnight, officers of the same team, the Boskos border guard, arrested 42 illegal immigrants who had violated the border with Belarus at the entrances to the village of Strelungyai in the Ignalina region. They did not have any documents, they presented themselves as Iraqi citizens and also applied for asylum.
Another group of foreigners from Belarus was arrested on Tuesday morning by Švenčionys border guards from the Vilnius Border Guard. Undocumented people who presented themselves as Sri Lankans were stuck crossing the border in the village of Naujoji Janavas in the Švenčionys district. They also applied for asylum.
All 58 refugees will be tested for COVID-19 and isolated in SBGS quarantine units pending results. The circumstances of the events are being clarified and investigations are underway.
Recently, the Ignalina region has become a place where migrants who cross the border illegally from Belarus try to travel. In the past two weeks, SBGS officers have detained up to 14 groups of foreigners, a total of 192 people, at the border within the region.
498 illegal immigrants from Belarus have tried to enter Lithuania this year. This number is six times higher than it has been for the whole of 2020. Last year, 81 of these foreigners were arrested. 2019 Border guards arrested 46 illegal immigrants in 2018; - 104.
Among the people detained at the border with Belarus this year the largest number of Iraqi citizens or foreigners who have presented themselves - 323. Also detained are 46 Iran, 42 Syria, 39 Belarus, 13 Russia, 11 Turkey, 10 Sri Lanka, 6 Tajikistan. , 3 Afghanistan, 2 Yemen and Egypt, and one Somali or self-proclaimed person.
With the recent sharp increase in the number of such cases, SBGS has strengthened border security with Belarus. In addition to the various organizational procedures, border guards from other units were seconded to this department and additional technical resources were allocated. In addition, forces from the Public Security Service, the Shooters Union and other institutions came to the aid of the border guards.
https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/1437135/pasienyje-su-baltarusija-sulaikyti-dar-58-migrantai