Фото: ОПК
Seventeen political prisoners released and expelled from Belarus in December last year have been granted international protection in Poland, according to the United Transitional Cabinet (UTC) following a meeting between Deputy Head of the Cabinet, head of the National Anti-Crisis Management Pavel Latushka, and Head of the Polish Office for Foreigners Tomasz Cytrynowicz.
Cytrynowicz informed Latushka that 17 individuals from the December group have already received positive decisions on international protection. He assured that efforts are being made to speed up the legalisation process for the remaining applicants. In total, 83 former political prisoners have expressed a desire to legalise their stay in Poland.
Latushka also raised the issue of legalisation for three political prisoners released on March 19. They were taken to Lithuania and, two days later, entered Poland with the consent of Polish authorities. Agreements were reached to prioritise the рассмотрение of their applications.
Cytrynowicz noted that he regularly draws the attention of regional governors to the specific situation of Belarusians facing issues with expiring documents. He also said he would request information from regional authorities on the processing of applications submitted by Belarusian citizens.
During the meeting, it was confirmed that the Office for Foreigners supports extending the validity of Polish travel documents to two years, up from the current one year. However, such a change would require legislative amendments.
The issue of Belarusian citizens opening bank accounts in Poland was also discussed. Latushka plans to meet with the Financial Supervision Authority on March 26 to seek solutions together with representatives of the Interior Ministry and the Finance Ministry.
Also attending the meeting were head of the legal commission of the Coordination Council Mikhail Kirylyuk and CBS representative Volha Dabravolskaya.