Belarus refuses entry to rights defender from Ukraine
The incident occurred on December 22 at the Rudnia border post at the Belarus-Ukraine border. According to Feskov, the purpose of his journey was to visit his relatives in Yelsk only for one day. But his explanation was not sufficient.
Volodymyr Feskov: "A border guard was checking my passport, while I was monitoring the procedure. Suddenly, the officer in charge came up to me and asked who I was and where I was traveling to. I realized there was a problem...”
30 minutes later, the Ukrainian human rights defender was told he was refused entry into Belarus. His passport was stamped and the man was told to head back towards Ukraine.
Feskov admitted he was not very surprised. The first time he was denied entry to Belarus was after the 2010 elections. Back then, Feskov was a member of an international election observation delegation. He was agan refused entry in 2014 when he was on his way to attend the funeral of his grandmother in Yelsk.
According to the defender, he is not aware of the exact reason why he was banned to enter and for how long. He says he made a written inquiry to Belarusian Interior Ministry but is yet to receive a reply.
File photo: Volodymyr Feskov
