An employee of the Belarusian Committee of Inquiry arrested in Pskov who had applied for political asylum in Latvia / Article / LSM.lv

Andrei Ostapovich, a former member of the Belarusian Committee of Inquiry, has sought political asylum in Latvia and left public service after violently repressed protests and openly opposed the regime of Alexander Lukashenko. While waiting for a visa to enter our country, he was detained by Russian services in Pskov, Ostapovich’s lawyer confirmed to Latvian Television. The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet provided any specific information on this case.

“I will not remain silent, I will not take part in crimes of concealment and I will not carry out criminal orders.” Captain Andrei Ostapovich, a former senior investigator of the Belarusian Committee of Inquiry, now writes in his resignation. He publicly announced his resignation a few days ago on the social network “Instagram”, posting a photo with a multi-page resignation, a service weapon wallet, a certificate and keys.

“I can say with confidence that many things are fabricated and it is not the fault of the investigators, we are offered false testimony, we are given instructions with the threat of dismissal,” Ostapovich said.

In his comments, Ostapovich called on people not to give up and oppose the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko. The photo and comments were soon deleted, but to the Belarusian independent media, spokesmen for the Committee of Inquiry commented that Andrei Ostapovich had never worked for them.

On August 21, the former investigator was detained by the Russian authorities in Pskov. According to his lawyer, Ostapovich wanted to take refuge in Latvia and waited in Pskov for a visa to enter our country. “He tried to get to Latvia, but there were problems. He applied for a visa as a political refugee to enter the territory of Latvia during the pandemic. He was unable to obtain it,” said Vyacheslav Golovin, Ostapovich’s lawyer.

According to the lawyer, the Russian authorities have detained Ostapovich for illegally crossing the border. “He was in Pskov, then detained in Pskov at the request of the Belarusian authorities, as I understood it. He was released yesterday and was taken by civilians across the border into Belarus. I have no further information,” the lawyer explained.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia does not provide information on the specific case and does not comment on whether requests for political asylum in Latvia have been received. “We cannot comment on specific cases, but the Foreign Minister has expressed the government’s readiness to consider requests, if any, because we all see what is happening in our neighboring country, so this offer is very relevant and necessary,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Jānis Beķeris.

Ostapovich’s girlfriend has told the Belarusian media that she had to get a visa to enter Latvia on August 24. According to the lawyer, the former investigator is currently in Belarus, but it is not known where. He may have to answer to the law for unauthorized crossing of the Belarusian border during the Covid-19 restrictions.

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