Prosecutor: Migrants in Belarus Are Tortured and Forced to Damage Latvia's Border Infrastructure

Illegal migrants on the Belarusian side of the border are being tortured and forced to damage Latvia's border infrastructure, prosecutor Andris Aleksejevs of the State Security Protection Department at Latvia's Prosecutor General's Office told Latvian Television's programme "de facto". The matter is significant because Latvia is for the first time assessing the actions of Belarusian officials in a criminal case linked to illegal migration.

The route to Latvia

According to the programme, the "migration route" costs about 5,000 dollars, with payments most often made in cryptocurrency. The route runs through Russia to Belarus and on to camps near the border, where migrants wait for a signal to cross. Evidence gathered in the case indicates that people stay in the camps for a few days, or for months if crossing the border fails.

Pressure on those who have not paid

Aleksejevs explains that uniformed officials regularly visit the camps. They line migrants up and use photographs to check whether payment has been made for the illegal crossing. If not, a person reportedly has a choice: go and damage Latvian infrastructure, or be physically harmed or otherwise tortured until agreeing to this offer.

The criminal case

The Prosecutor General's Office announced on 15 July that the case was opened over the fact itself, not against specific officials. It is being investigated by the State Security Protection Department. It is based on a submission from the State Border Guard received on 13 July. The information in it gives grounds to believe that a criminal organisation of at least five people has been formed and has committed a particularly serious crime against Latvia.

According to the prosecutors, the harm has taken the form of systematic undermining of the Latvian border guard's work: border security infrastructure is damaged, which obstructs the border guard's tasks and reduces its effectiveness.