Israel grants refugee status to Belarusian opponents of Lukashenko – media

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority has for the first time granted refugee status to Belarusian citizens. The decision was made for a married couple who fled due to political repression. The spouses opposed the Lukashenko regime since 2020, joined anti-war protests, and arrived in Israel in April 2022. After a legal battle, they received a final positive response on August 2, four years after filing their petition. Of 288 applications from 2019 to 2024, only 21 were approved.

Israel's Population and Immigration Authority has officially granted refugee status to Belarusian citizens for the first time in history. The historic decision was made for a married couple who were forced to flee due to political persecution. The spouses, around fifty years old, openly opposed the regime of Alexander Lukashenko since 2020, and with the start of hostilities in Ukraine, they joined daily anti-war protests. The situation escalated in March 2022 after the arrest of a close acquaintance, when they received warnings of possible arrest. In April of that year, they arrived in Israel, and three months later filed an asylum petition. Facing delays in processing, they appealed to the appellate court, which ordered the immigration service to issue a verdict by January 2027. After an appeal to the district court, they were issued temporary permits. They received a final positive response on August 2, exactly four years after filing the initial petition. The publication emphasizes the exceptional nature of the precedent: from 2019 to 2024, out of 288 applications reviewed, only 21 were approved, and no Belarusian file had previously reached the advisory committee.