Belarus changes the rules of the game: after a long break, changed statements and an incredible story of the detainee

Night from Thursday to Friday Delphi, together with Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defense Committee (NSGC), visited the SBGS Tverečius border checkpoint.

Five illegal immigrants arrested as Iraqi citizens were detained here for several days in the adjacent section of the Puškai firebreak. They agreed to chat with reporters and tell their story.

Detained: we traveled in a truck for a week, we want to live in Lithuania because there is a good government here

A girl of about 26 years old said she was satisfied with the conditions at the firewall.

“It just came to our attention then. We are safe and everything is fine. (…) Well, maybe we don’t like the food here. It would be better to be different,” said the girl.

According to her, the family wants to stay and live in Lithuania.

“It just came to our attention then. It’s very hot in Iraq, so it’s better for us here. When you go to Iraq, you will understand what’s fashionable. They told us that people live well here, that there is good government. We need one. safe life, “he said.

When asked how his group got to Lithuania, he said they went from Iraq to Iran and then to Turkey. There, according to her, they asked people how to get to Lithuania and a few days later they found a driver.

The girl said that a family of five – she, her husband, a cousin and two brothers – went to Lithuania along with four Arabs. According to her, the trip lasted a week, everyone was driving a truck and identity documents were allegedly given to the driver. For the trip, they said, they paid 17 thousand. Dollars.

“The driver said, ‘Come on, it’s Europe.’ He was Turkish, we really didn’t understand him. When we went out into the street we asked people to call the police because we needed help and finally the police arrived, ”said the girl.

True, when asked to clarify the circumstances and exactly what people had arranged for the trip, the girl was unable to do so, but said the trip was frustrating.

“We want to work, study. I would like to study and I don’t know about my husband.” … He worked in a market in Iraq and I studied business at university, “she said.

When asked why she decided to leave Iraq, the girl responded, noting that it was a long story and did not go into details.

“Long story. We had a lot of problems, some people wanted to kill us. I don’t know why. They called us and told us that they would come and kill my husband,” said the girl, explaining that the family had left her husband and her little sister in Iraq.

Unconvincing version: similar to a pre-made “legend”

However, such a version presented by the people who crossed the border illegally did not convince the commander of the Tverečius Border Guard, Marius Garuckas.

He noted that Lithuania is often a transit country for illegal immigrants.

“It often happens that the migrants of organizers and guides are already prepared with a ‘legend’ of what to say to the border guards or police who are launched so that they cannot investigate, perhaps to look at them in another way. (…)

The version of these illegal immigrants is very unconvincing, only that they are benevolent, they wanted to communicate, to speak, they do not make claims or demands, they are not bothered by mosquitoes, the heat or the living conditions, “said M. Garuckas.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, president of NSGK, spoke in a similar way.

“It just came to our knowledge then. On the other hand, when he arrives without documents and tells him that he gave them, his personal documents, to a truck driver, it is already a suspicion.

The second thing, apparently, is that the Minsk component and the plane would not appear, they are told that you can come from Lithuania by truck to the Istanbul truck, it is difficult to convince ”, considered the politician.

Border guards receive reproaches and demands

Mentioning the demands and reproaches of illegal immigrants, when Garuck was asked to explain what is most common among detainees, he pointed out that most of the complaints relate to accommodation and food conditions.

Also, due to the alleged mosquitoes that bite on the border.

“The requirements really start at the firewall: bad conditions, torture ourselves with mosquitoes, bad food, here in Europe, we have to give ourselves better conditions. At first, there were also questions about testing: why are they taking us here for testing, but has it calmed down already? Most of them demand that they be taken to the centers as soon as possible, sometimes they already know that, says Pabradė or Rukla, where conditions are much better for the families, ”said the Tverečius border guard commander.

Officials are also sometimes surprised by the specific nature of the requests: some illegal immigrants, according to Mr. Garuck, expect exceptional care and conditions when they arrive in Europe.

“A group of six people were told they wanted that, that, that, that, that. Everything differently. These are food, meals, cigarettes. There were also six women, one said she was pregnant, although this was not confirmed, others required pregnancy tests. We attribute this to feeling bad or wanting better conditions.

Sometimes they even make lists: we have money, it buys for us. However, order food from specialty stores or McDonald’s Bigmak, an SBGS official said.

NSGK President L. Kasčiūnas also spoke about this, having repeatedly spoken about the need to reduce Lithuania’s attractiveness for illegal immigration.

“There are different groups of illegal immigrants with different needs, but the truth is that if you flee from war, terror and come to a country where it does not exist, they give you shelter and all the basic services, not to mention being suitable for one or the other. Another aspect of life, the Lithuanian mosquitoes, this bears witness to something important: first we talk about the signs of economic migration ”, emphasized the parliamentarian.

He did not hide his surprise when he heard the requests of some of the detainees.

In this context, I would say to the people participating in the debate in Lithuania who have a different point of view that they should speak with them, especially the chairman of the Human Rights Committee and the Ombudsman of the Seimas, to consult with the Community of Lithuanian mosquitoes, migrants and leave them alone, ”L. Kasčiūnas ironically.

It offers three main lines of action

However, L. Kasčiūnas pointed out that in order to solve the problem of illegal migration more effectively, according to him, it is necessary to improve the physical protection of the borders, not to create “greenhouse conditions” for detainees, which reduces the attractiveness the country and accelerates asylum applications and return procedures.

“Our entire border must be systematically evaluated. The little that needs to be done is to supplement our surveillance system with detection systems: it is being done, it is planned to be done, I have no doubt that this firewall will really be covered.

It would be desirable for elements of the fence to appear as well, all border guards agree that the physical barrier should deter, slow down migration and help prevent smuggling. It would also be an additional barrier for certain hybrid actions, ”said a member of the Seimas.

He said it was a good decision for the court to rule on restricting the movement of detainees.

“From my point of view, it sends a clear message that those greenhouse conditions will not be here, and from the discontent that arises, we see that this is not in accordance with your scenario. Their goal is to leave all the infrastructure here and drive west, ”emphasized L. Kasčiūnas.

At the same time, the politician presented another idea: social campaigns.

“Now Lithuania should also think about certain social campaigns in those countries through social networks, which will not be a country favorable to migration. The Norwegians, Denmark, in their time, are examples of good practices. It must be done, that message it must be passed on, ”said the NSGK president.

L. Kasčiūnas also pointed out that efforts should be made to increase the efficiency of the processing of asylum applications, as well as, together with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency “Frontex”, to initiate the return of people to the that they have not been granted asylum to their countries of origin.

Are the Belarusian border guards changing the rules of the game?

M. Garuckas, the commander of the Tverečius border firewall, said that in the border section under his leadership, a small section stands out with illegal migration activity.

“There are good roads near the border on the Belarusian side, they go from Moscow and Minsk, there are many settlements and good Belarusian border roads. Without getting tired you went over, you crossed the border.

There are also many convenient roads on our side, it is easy to orient, so it is used. It is very convenient to bring it, release it quickly, it is possible to move a lot of vegetation, bushes, trees, you can move a little disguised ”, commented the SBGS official.

Garuck said Belarusian border guards and information had recently been received after the break-up. It is true that it is not yet clear if it is exact.

“Recently, after our arrests, there have been reports from the Belarusian border guards that they have also detained various groups of migrants who have moved in this direction. If that is true, if the arrest actually took place, did it happen, If they really started to protect the border, if they changed the rules of the game so that we can’t say they don’t catch, they don’t communicate, it’s hard to say.

In fact, it is not clear if those arrests were, because over the years that they have reported, we have seen how they were arrested, the video was shared. (Šiuo) In this case, there were only dry reports and nothing else, so it is difficult to judge and draw conclusions, ”added M. Garuckas.