Lithuania set to launch probe into illegal movement of migrants across Belarus-EU border
Lithuania’s Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė appealed to the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office, drawing the agency’s attention to the illegal movement of people across the Belarusian-Lithuanian border.
“Migrants from third countries have been crossing the border illegally for several weeks, and we do see the signs indicating that this might be done in an organised way. We cannot put up with such things, and I have asked the Prosecutor General’s Office to start an investigation [into the situation],” the MIA press service quotes the minister.
Since early January, 392 third-country nationals who illegally crossed the Lithuanian state border from Belarus have been detained by the country’s services. For the first half of June alone, there have been 204 cases of illegal crossing the border, the ministry adds.
Employees of the Public Security Service and members of the Riflemen’s Union have already been involved in the protection of the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. The police started patrolling the so called Dieveniškės bulge, a locality which is practically surrounded by the territory of Belarus. In addition, part-time homes are being built up near the Centre for Registration of Foreigners; the detained migrants are expected to be accomodated there.
It should be recalled that in response to Western sanctions imposed on the regime, Alyaksandr Lukashenka threatened to loosen control over the flow of migrants at the border with the European Union.
belsat.eu
