Former Belarus intelligence officer gets asylum in Lithuania
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 18 March 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Former Belarus intelligence officer gets asylum in Lithuania, 18 March 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/519a6b1418.html [accessed 19 May 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. |
March 18, 2013
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
MINSK – A former soldier in a Belarusian military intelligence unit, Stsyapan Zakharchanka, has been granted political asylum in Lithuania.
Zakharchanka told RFE/RL on March 18 that Lithuanian authorities made the asylum decision last week.
He said he would be allowed to stay in the European Union for five years.
Zakharchanka made headlines in the summer of 2011 after he defected to Lithuania.
He later explained his decision to defect, saying his life was being threatened.
Zakharchanka said he was severely beaten and hospitalized after refusing to sign an agreement to shoot at unarmed protesters in Belarus if ordered to do so by his supervisors.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry has rejected Zakharchanka's accusations.
Zakharchanka says he was grateful to the Lithuanian authorities and has no plans to leave Lithuania for any other European Union country.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
