Сергей и Иван Мельянцы. Фото из Facebook
The son of Belarusian preacher Siarhei Melyanets, who was detained yesterday by Polish border guards, has been released. He has filed an application to reopen his case for international protection.
As previously reported, on April 29 Ivan Melyanets was detained by Polish border guards and taken to a border service unit at Warsaw Chopin Airport. He faced immediate deportation to Belarus, an order to leave Poland voluntarily, or placement in a detention centre for deportees.
On the evening of April 29, Siarhei Melyanets said that his son had been released.
“There are few details. There was an interrogation. The lawyer arrived in time. Vanya signed some documents and submitted an application to reopen his case for international protection. The Border Guard will forward this application to the head of the Office for Foreigners within 48 hours. If a positive decision is made, the case will be reopened and during its consideration Vanya will remain legally in Poland. The lawyer’s services today cost a considerable sum (more than what I earn in a month). But it was worth it”, Siarhei wrote on Facebook.
The issue concerning Siarhei’s second son, Bahdan, is expected to be addressed today.
Siarhei Melyanets was detained in March 2024 at the Minsk City Court, where he had come to support journalist Ihar Karnei. After serving two terms of administrative arrest, he was released and later left for Poland with his family. In Poland, he organised the volunteer initiative Food4bel, which helps Belarusian refugees.
After arriving in Poland, Siarhei Melyanets and his family applied for international protection. His two elder sons applied separately, as they were already adults at the time. After two years of waiting, they learned that their cases had been closed. The Border Guard said it had sent them summonses for questioning by mail, but they did not receive them.