Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry summons the Belarusian chargé d’affaires ad interim in strict protest over the death of a detained Lithuanian citizen
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania summoned the chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Belarus in Vilnius in strict protest over the detention of the Lithuanian citizen N.R. in Belarus on 31 December 2023 and the detainee’s death in prison, possibly without the necessary medical assistance.
Consular officers of Lithuania were not properly informed about the detention of the citizen, the grounds thereof, and the state of health of the Lithuanian citizen. In addition, there was no possibility to visit or provide the detainee with the necessary consular assistance. By doing so, Belarus has grossly violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Lithuania strictly urges Belarus to immediately officially inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania about the grounds for the detention of the citizen, the state of the citizen during the detention, and all related circumstances, as well as to confirm the fact of the death of the said citizen, indicate the time and place, circumstances and reasons for the death.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that hostile and provocative actions by Belarusian institutions against citizens of Lithuania already present or temporarily arriving in Belarus have intensified recently. Lithuanian citizens have been illegally detained and charged with fictitious charges.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again strongly recommends that citizens of Lithuania refrain from travelling to Belarus and those currently in the country leave immediately. Given these and other circumstances, travelling to Belarus by citizens of Lithuania, ignoring the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, poses a threat to their safety, health and life.
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