In light of emerging reports that the authorities have arbitrarily declared invalid the passports of former political prisoners who were forcibly expelled from Belarus after their release in September and December 2025, we, a coalition of Belarusian human rights organizations, state the following:
The protection of its citizens is a fundamental function and duty of the state. Article 10 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus guarantees citizens the protection and patronage of the state both within Belarus and abroad. A passport is one of the manifestations of state sovereignty. It confirms the state’s guarantee of protection for its citizens both domestically and internationally.
We emphasize that a passport is not merely an administrative document, but a confirmation of a person’s legal and social identity. Although the absence of a valid passport does not de jure result in the loss of citizenship, it creates a situation of de facto statelessness, affects human dignity, and obstructs the exercise of many fundamental rights, including the right to equal treatment (non-discrimination) (Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Article 22 of the Constitution), the right to recognition as a person before the law (Article 16 of the Covenant), the right to freedom of movement (Article 12 of the Covenant), the right to privacy and family life (Article 17 of the Covenant), the right to marry and found a family (Article 23 of the Covenant), and the right to property (Article 44 of the Constitution).
Under Article 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the state is responsible to the citizen for creating conditions for the free and dignified development of the individual. Article 59 of the Constitution establishes the duty of state bodies, officials, and other persons entrusted with the performance of state functions to take the necessary measures, within their competence, to ensure and protect the rights and freedoms of individuals.
The arbitrary invalidation of passports of individuals persecuted for political reasons is not merely a refusal by the state to protect its citizens, but a deliberate abuse of power by state bodies tasked with safeguarding citizens’ rights. It constitutes an additional repressive measure (and a new practice in the context of transnational repression) against individuals who have already been subjected to arbitrary criminal prosecution and unjust punishment for exercising their lawful rights and freedoms.
Moreover, the very fact of forced expulsion further exacerbates their vulnerability and constitutes a separate violation of both national law and Belarus’s international legal obligations (see the coalition’s statement of December 22, 2025). The invalidation of passports (even when individuals do not physically possess them) in addition to forced expulsion demonstrates not only the unlawfulness of such actions but also a particular cynicism on the part of the authorities, who seek by any available means to worsen the situation, prolong suffering, and degrade the dignity of those persecuted on political grounds.
We remind that the refusal of the Belarusian authorities to protect their own citizens as a form of transnational repression has a much broader scope and affects not only those who have been released and forcibly removed. Decree No. 278 “On the Procedure for Issuing Documents and Performing Actions” of September 4, 2023 (the “Passport Decree”) remains in force, having abolished certain functions of Belarusian diplomatic missions abroad, including the issuance and renewal of passports. As a result, thousands of Belarusian citizens, including newborn children, are left without basic identity documents and, consequently, without the ability to fully participate in social life and exercise a range of rights. The number of such individuals continues to grow.
We also conclude that the arbitrary invalidation of passports may be viewed as part of a state policy involving a widespread and systematic attack against the population, as a contextual element of crimes against humanity under the qualification framework of the International Criminal Court in the context of the ongoing investigation into the Lithuania/Belarus situation.
In view of the above, we call on the authorities of the Republic of Belarus to:
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fulfill their constitutional obligations to protect citizens of the Republic of Belarus and to create conditions for the proper exercise of their rights, without discrimination based on political beliefs or other grounds, in particular:
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to cease the practice of arbitrarily invalidating passports;
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to ensure the restoration of the validity of passports;
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to repeal Decree No. 278 “On the Procedure for Issuing Documents and Performing Actions” of September 4, 2023, and to restore the functions of Belarusian diplomatic missions abroad to issue and renew passports.
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We call on representatives of international organizations and foreign states, including those participating in negotiations on releases, to:
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make every possible diplomatic effort to end practices that infringe the rights of citizens of the Republic of Belarus released through negotiations;
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make every possible diplomatic effort to end practices that infringe the rights of other Belarusian citizens who have been left without valid passports due to the actions of the authorities, and to ensure the repeal of Decree No. 278 (the “Passport Decree”);
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provide maximum assistance in legalizing the status of forcibly expelled and other Belarusian citizens who remain without valid passports due to the actions of the Belarusian authorities in the territories of foreign states;
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treat these practices as a form of transnational repression and take them into account when assessing the human rights situation in Belarus.
Belarusian Helsinki Committee
Lawtrend
Human Constanta
PEN Belarus
Belarusian Association of Journalists
Viasna Human Rights Center
Legal Initiative
Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House
Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions