Alexander Klaskousky:The authorities’ decision on people banned from travelling abroad was impulsive

The situation around the Belarusian authorities’ decision on the list of persons banned from travelling abroad looks not quite understood. On the one hand, a number of civil society activists and opposition politicians - Valiantsin Stefanovich, Andrei...

The situation around the Belarusian authorities’ decision on the list of persons banned from travelling abroad looks not quite understood. On the one hand, a number of civil society activists and opposition politicians - Valiantsin Stefanovich, Andrei Bandarenka, Lev Margolin, Anatoly Lebedko and others managed to return the right to go abroad through the court.

On the other hand, the same Andrei Bandarenka was put on record in the State Security Committee, - the fact that according to presidential decree в„– 295 of July 4, 2012, automatically restricts the right to travel abroad to the head of information and educational institution "Platform".

The information service of "EuroBelarus" asked political analyst and journalist Alexander Klaskouski to comment on the actions of the Belarusian authorities.

"The decision made in spring as to limit the right to travel abroad to some members of the political opposition and civil society took by the authorities, was made in an impulsive manner, under the influence of sanctions adopted by the European Union", said Alexander Klaskousky. According to him, as the Belarusian authorities have no wealth of means for an adequate response to European officials, thus the former hit, by force of habit, at the so-called "fifth column". And this was made through the violation of the very Belarusian laws.

According to the expert, the restriction to travel abroad had two main objectives. "Firstly, the ban on leaving the country made the obstacles to people who regularly created troubles to the official Minsk - the political opposition, human rights defenders, public activists. Secondly, such a move was a signal to Brussels that any pressure on the Belarusian authorities will only make worse to the "European fifth column". It was one of the manifestations of the hostage policy practiced by the official leadership of Belarus", believes the analyst.

Altogether, Alexander Klaskousky noted that the EU was forced to consider such actions of the Belarusian regime, and the reaction to the latest diplomatic row was much more restrained. The Europeans have decided to wait a little, instead of a harsh response, as far as they did not want to cross up Belarusian Lukashenko's opponents for repressions. "Intelligent Europe can not confront misbehavior of the authoritarian Belarus", comments on the expert.

"Altogether, the authorities in Minsk have also understood that they went too far, and began to unscrew the nuts back, as it became clear that the travel ban decisions had been taken illegally, on absurd grounds. The president signed a corresponding decree exactly to legalize the practice of the ban to travel abroad ", believes the analyst.

As concerns the issue of how the situation will go on further, Alexander Klaskousky is convinced that the government will gradually lift restrictions on travel for those who began asserting their rights in courts.

"But as there is a certain political environment, anyone whose actions will greatly harm the country's leadership can be easily put on record in the KGB at any moment, thus having legal limited travel right ", said the analyst. Similar situation happened to Andrei Bandarenka, who, according to Alexander Klaskouski ,"is a too big eyesore to the authorities".