Belarusian denied asylum, fears deportation from Bulgaria

October 17, Pozirk. Bulgaria has denied asylum to Barys Barysaŭ, a former opposition presidential campaign activist, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) reported yesterday

The man fears deportation to his home country, where he says he could face prison.

“A closed investigation into my participation in the 2020 protests would be launched [by authorities] immediately; my social media activity and the fact that I had contacts with other activists abroad would also be problematic factors,” Barysaŭ said, commenting on why he is afraid to return to his country.

In 2020 Barysaŭ was on the team of presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka, donating to the opposition movement, organizing peaceful rallies and collecting signatures, BIRN reported.

However, the State Agency for Refugees said that “his claims that he left Belarus over fears that he will be persecuted cannot be confirmed in any way and are baseless.”

Barysaŭ reportedly left Belarus for Georgia in February 2022. He and his family have lived in Bulgaria since 2023. His Belarusian passport has expired.

Last month, media reported that Bulgaria denied asylum to a Belarusian man Andrej, the husband of Russian activist Aleksey Bachinskiy.

Meanwhile, Belarusian filmmaker Andrej Hniot continues a legal battle against deportation in Serbia.

Also read: Serbian appellate court sends Belarusian filmmaker’s case for review