Lithuanian border guards have announced the detention of 35 asylum seekers who identified themselves as citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq after they entered the country from Belarus. The incident occurred on Thursday evening in the Varėna district in southern Lithuania.
According to Lithuanian border guards, the movement of this group was detected by surveillance systems in the protected area of the Čepkeliai Reserve. Following the detection, a large-scale operation was launched to track and detain the individuals.
Reports indicate that the migrants split into several smaller groups after crossing the border to avoid detection. However, they were apprehended by border forces before they could get far from the swampy Čepkeliai area.
Lithuanian officials state that all the detainees are men between the ages of 20 and 30. Of the group, 11 had identification documents with them, while the other 24 provided no documents to prove their identity.
This incident occurs as the migration crisis on the European Union's eastern borders with Belarus continues. Lithuania and other countries bordering Belarus accuse the Minsk government of weaponizing migrants to exert political pressure on the EU.
Based on statistics released by the Lithuanian Border Guard Service, since the beginning of this year, 1,661 asylum seekers have been prevented from entering the country from Belarus. This figure highlights the ongoing attempts by migrants to find a path into the EU through this dangerous route.
The fate of the 35 detained asylum seekers is not yet clear, but typically such individuals are transferred to refugee camps after legal proceedings or are returned to the country from which they came.
Source: Zarin Local Sources
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