Montenegro wants to reject an asylum request from Belarus, an opponent of the regime in Minsk

Montenegro is a candidate for joining the European Union, and at least rhetorically, the young Montenegrin leadership around President Jakov Milatović (37 years old) and Prime Minister Milojko Spajić (36) is working very hard on this. The official goal in the capital of Montenegro, Podgorica, is: full membership by 2028, that is, in barely four years. The coming years will show whether this is merely ambitious or, above all, unrealistic. All wonderful and wonderful, but the question arises whether everyone in the Montenegrin leadership understood what the European Union is and what it stands for.

The question could also be asked of Radovan Popović, the deputy minister of the interior, in charge of granting citizenship and regulating residence. Because this man wants to reject the Belarusian asylum seeker and deport him to his homeland. Reasoning: Belarus is a democratic country and those who are rejected there are not threatened with persecution. That's what it says in the decision signed by the deputy minister at the beginning of this month. This document found its way to the Montenegrin investigative journalist Jov Martinović and was the basis for his research published in the weekly "Monitor". Accordingly, Popović explains his decision, which is not yet final, by saying that the applicant could not credibly prove the fear of persecution in his country of origin. The fact that there is a dictator in power in Belarus who keeps hundreds or thousands of his opponents imprisoned in casemates, that oppositionists are systematically tortured in Belarusian prisons, as credibly reported by human rights organizations, dissidents and refugees - none of this seems to play a role in Popović's decision .

According to "Monitor" research, the situation of the Belarusian asylum seeker, who is referred to in the text only as "VI", looks fundamentally different than in the assessment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the research, when this man entered Montenegro in July 2023 and asked for protection, he had every reason to fear the revenge of the Belarusian tyrant Alexander Lukashenko. First of all, because he posted a twenty-minute video on YouTube in which he clearly positioned himself against Lukashenko. In it, he expressed his support for all "who are fighting for free Belarus" and stated that, since Lukashenko suppressed the protests in blood, the people should defend themselves "in the same way".

The Belarusian authorities apparently did not immediately notice this video recording, made in August 2020. Because I. felt the regime's response too late. The reaction is also known to other oppositionists: the financial police of Belarus raided his company. Then came harassment by the authorities. Mr. I.'s bank suddenly refused further cooperation with him without explanation. The state power in Belarus often resorts to such means. Those who fall out of favor politically attack economically. Belarusian director and activist Andrej Gnjot, who is under house arrest in Serbia and is also threatened with extradition, experienced a similar fate. Officially, Belarus is looking for him on an Interpol arrest warrant for tax evasion, albeit under a law that was not in force at the time of the alleged crime. The exile believes that this is happening because of his political activism against Minsk, which, among other things, resulted in the regime being deprived of the opportunity to host a major sporting event.

According to his own testimony, VI experienced the second phase of persecution: the Belarusian secret service, which is still called the KGB, summoned him for questioning in July of last year. He instantly realized what time it was. And immediately got on the plane to Istanbul. He managed to leave Belarus. From Turkey, I. traveled further to Montenegro. If Popović now hands him over to Lukashenka, he is certain that he will face the fate of a political prisoner.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Montenegro has a much longer presentation. He claims that even if there are "to a certain extent" human rights violations in Belarus, this asylum seeker does not face any danger to his freedom, security or life in his homeland. The Association of Belarusians of Montenegro, which claims to have 1.400 members, has therefore tried to draw attention to the difficult fate that threatens their compatriot with an open letter. In the letter, somewhat polemical at times, the Belarusians are grateful to Montenegro for the refuge they found in this Balkan country. The Belarusian diaspora is all the more disappointed by the threat of deportation to one of their members - and especially by the absurd explanation of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs.

The process is not yet complete. I. wants to appeal the decision to the Administrative Court. His case shows the same thing that follows from similar developments in Belgrade: that Russians and Belarusians are still welcome in Serbia and Montenegro. However, this welcome does not necessarily apply to those who publicly oppose the rulers in Moscow and Minsk.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung