Belarusian authorities said Monday they have detained an American man who they said illegally traveled into the tightly controlled country in an empty railway car from neighboring Lithuania.
Belarus’ Customs Committee said the 27-year-old, whose identify wasn’t given, was found during an inspection of the train in Maladzyechna, 80 kilometers (49 miles) northwest of the capital, Minsk.
A team that inspected the train handed him over to the Border Guards, who didn’t immediately comment. It was not clear when the man was discovered.
The Viasna Human Rights Center said the man could face up to two years in prison if found guilty of illegal border crossing.
The U.S. State Department has warned Americans against traveling to Belarus, citing “Belarusian authorities’ arbitrary enforcement of local laws and the risk of detention, continued facilitation of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the heightened volatility and unpredictable nature of the regional security environment.”
At the same time, Belarus has introduced a visa-free regime for travelers from 80 countries, including the United States, who arrive by plane and stay for no more than five days. Those who want to spend more time can receive electronic visas.
Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who was sworn in for a seventh term earlier this month, has ruled for more than three decades, stifling dissent and free speech. Authorities responded to massive protests triggered by the 2020 presidential vote with a crackdown that saw over 65,000 people arrested, thousands beaten by police and independent media outlets and nongovernmental organizations closed and outlawed, bringing condemnation and sanctions from the West.
Belarusian activists say it currently holds more than 1,200 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski, founder of Viasna.
Belarusian authorities recently released some political prisoners, including several U.S. citizens in what some observers saw as an attempt by Lukashenko to try to mend ties with the West.
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