Belarus: Follow-up to BYS30360 on failed asylum claimants who may have returned
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BYS30684.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Belarus: Follow-up to BYS30360 on failed asylum claimants who may have returned, 1 November 1998, BYS30684.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad0a34.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In response to a 30 October 1998 letter of inquiry from the Research Directorate on failed asylum claimants who may have returned to Belarus, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) branch office in Ottawa stated the following on 19 November 1998:
These offices are not aware of any cases of Belarus nationals being refused asylum and deported to Belarus. Consequently, there is no available information on how returning asylum-seekers may be treated. While not discounting the possibility that rejected asylum-seekers may have returned discretely to Belarus, it was noted by one of our offices that the propaganda value for the Belarusian authorities of an asylum seeker from Belarus having a refugee claim rejected abroad would hardly pass unnoticed by the official media.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ottawa. 19 November 1998. Correspondence from Legal Officer.
