A Belarusian Convinced Denmark That His Multiple Drug Convictions Were, In Fact, Political Persecution. And He Received Asylum
In 2020, he was beaten by unknown assailants, which is why he left for Denmark.
Copenhagen. Photo: goodfon.ru
In August 2024, the Danish Refugee Appeals Board (Flygtningenævnet) recognized a Belarusian man as a refugee under the Geneva Convention. The man arrived in Denmark in 2020. In his home country, he had been convicted several times for drug possession – but the board considered these cases fabricated, a method by which authorities deal with critics of the regime.
The applicant is an Orthodox Belarusian. According to his account, he began criticizing the authorities back in 2006, as he disagreed with how the country was being governed. He spoke out against the regime at demonstrations, in conversations with people, and online – and came to the attention of the authorities.
Between 2009 and 2014, he was convicted several times for drug possession. The applicant himself claimed that the charges were false and linked to his political activism. The board agreed with this, relying on background information about the situation in Belarus.
The situation sharply deteriorated during the 2020 elections. The Belarusian man recounted that shortly before his departure, three unknown individuals approached him, beat him, and told him they would "cut him into pieces" if he didn't "shut up." He had also previously been summoned by the authorities and warned to cease his activities.
In Denmark, the man did not cease his activities: he protested in front of the Russian embassy, participated in actions supporting Ukraine, and continued to criticize the Belarusian regime on social media – under his own name. Because of this, according to him, he received a threat on a social network from a person he is convinced is connected to the police. One of his relatives was also summoned by the authorities.
The board considered the applicant "credible" and noted that a significant portion of his narrative sounded like personal experience. Discrepancies in details were not considered crucial.
Separately, the board considered whether asylum should be denied due to the convictions – an exception provided by the Convention for those who have committed serious crimes. No grounds for this were found.
As a result, the board recognized that upon returning to Belarus, the man risks facing persecution, and issued him a residence permit with refugee status.
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