[ad_1]
Two people, a father and a son, moved to the Swedish embassy area in Minsk on Friday. A video, which they have filmed themselves, shows how they remain hidden under a ladder to escape from the police after participating in the protests against the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
The people themselves tell SVT that they have actively participated in the demonstrations in the country on September 6 and in connection with them were beaten and persecuted by the security forces. According to their own statement, they should not have dared to return home and therefore sought refuge in the Swedish embassy, where on Friday they climbed the fence to enter.
– If they deliver us now, we have the guarantee that they will kill us. We ask for help, Vladislav Kuznetjik tells SVT.
“You can confirm”
The Swedish Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed to SVT on Friday afternoon that two people are at the embassy in Minsk to request asylum.
– We can confirm that there are two people in the embassy parking lot. They spoke with an embassy employee and declared that they want to apply for asylum in Sweden, says Julia Eriksson Pogorzelska, a press release from the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On Friday night, the men remained in the embassy area. For the SVT correspondent in Belarus, Elin Jönsson, they themselves have said that they intend to spend the night and do not intend to leave the place.
– In recent days, the violence has escalated. They have used much more force again as they did at the beginning of the protests. Violence against women and the elderly is used in a new way, says Elin Jönsson in Aktuellt.
“I cannot receive or make an asylum decision”
The Foreign Ministry states that the two people will not receive an asylum decision from the Swedish embassy.
– Embassies cannot receive or make decisions about asylum. If you want to apply for asylum, you can apply at the border police when traveling to Sweden or at the application units of the Swedish Immigration Board, says Julia Eriksson Pogorzelska.
What will happen to the people is not something the Foreign Ministry wants to comment on at this time.
– We cannot comment in detail on what measures we take, but we will act as the situation requires, including with regard to security.
