MINSK, 19 July (BelTA) – The Belarusian border service has detected three groups of illegal migrants, who had crossed the border from the side of Lithuania. The border guard personnel were surprised to hear their reasons for violating the state border, BelTA learned from the State Border Committee of Belarus.
Signs of border trespassing from the side of Lithuania were detected by personnel of the border guard station Geraneny of the Lida border service unit in the morning on 18 July. A search operation resulted in the detention of 14 Iraqi citizens with personal identification documents. Another seven unknown individuals, who claimed they were Iraqi citizens, were apprehended in the same area the next day. Five more people were found in the populated locality of Klevitsa, including a pregnant woman in a state of shock, two kids, and two adults. The woman was immediately taken to hospital, her health is not threatened now.
The second group of migrants said they had been staying in a refugee camp in Lithuania. According to the Iraqi citizens, personnel of the Lithuanian border service had questioned them and had forced them to provide testimony and say they had bribed Belarusian border personnel for assistance with crossing the border. The refugees had not been fed, had not been allowed to drink, and had been beaten with batons, which multiple bruises and abrasions on their bodies confirm. Right after questioning the Iraqi citizens were transported to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border, were threatened with weapons and forced to go to Belarus' territory.
One of the people caught in the third group stated the five people were Iraqi citizens. Armed people in camouflage uniforms had stopped them in Lithuania's territory. The border trespassers gave them their passports, but those individuals only tore them up. Then the Iraqi citizens were forced with physical violence to leave Lithuania and enter Belarus.
