Belarusians who fled repression face new hurdles as they try to rebuild their lives abroad

By YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who fled repression in their homeland face the prospect of having invalid documents after authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree halting passport renewals abroad. Many of these self-exiles left Belarus amid a harsh government crackdown over the disputed 2020 presidential election, and a return home means they risk being arrested. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged them not to go back, saying, “Not a single document in the world is worth human freedom.” She says she and other exiled opposition figures are creating new passports that they hope other nations will recognize as valid.