During the its 49th session, the Congress is organising a panel discussion with the delegation of Belarus democratic forces on Wednesday 29 October from 12:45 to14:00 in Room 10 of the Palais de l’Europe, in English.
The panel discussion, under the theme “When passports become weapons: Local authorities’ response to transnational repression against Belarusians abroad”, will raise awareness of local and regional authorities on how to support Belarusian residents across Europe after the authoritarian regime in Belarus ceased key consular services for its citizens abroad. This forced Belarusians who have stood against dictatorship into a dichotomy: return to Belarus and face repression, or remain undocumented in a foreign country.
The event will include testimonies of victims of repression, propose solutions for local and regional authorities, and help localise the measures set in the PACE’s landmark Resolution 2499 (2023) on Addressing the specific challenges faced by the Belarusians in exile (known as the “Luxembourg Solutions”).
