Lithuania passes law banning asylum seekers from entering

The Lithuanian Parliament approved on Tuesday a law that would block the entry of asylum seekers, a new measure to combat the flow of migrants entering the country across the border with Belarus.

This measure establishes that illegal migrants may be denied entry and expelled from the country in the event of a state of emergency.

“From the point of view of national security and human rights, there are no easy solutions, but there is no alternative either,” said Lithuanian Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite, quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“Our country must defend itself,” the official added.

According to the minister, Belarus is negotiating a new direct air connection with Minsk from Iran and Iraq, which may indicate “possible new flows” of migrants.

The Baltic country, a member of the European Union, has taken measures since 2021 to restrict the entry of asylum seekers into the country after a year during which thousands of migrants and refugees, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, tried to enter the EU through Lithuania, Latvia and Poland.

Since then, the country has recorded a decline in the number of attempts to cross the border.

Amnesty International warned last week of a new law that, if passed by the president, could give a “green light” to torture and strengthen the so-called “fight back”.

According to AFP, activists will appeal to President Gitanas Nauseda to veto the law.

“These amendments are contrary to international law and our own obligations,” Jurate Juskaitė, director of the Lithuanian Center for Human Rights, told a French news agency, adding that they are “immoral” and that “they threaten the life and health of people trying to enter.”

Last year, Lithuania completed construction of a four-meter barbed wire fence along the border with Belarus, covering 550 of the 700 kilometers shared by the two countries.