"There Was A 'conversation', Bags Were Looked At In Their Entirety."

What is happening on the border of Belarus with the European Union.

In early May, the Human Rights Center "Viasna" reported that enhanced checks and detentions continued at the borders of Belarus with the EU countries.

The journalists BGC.site/society/telefon-smotreli-i-sumki-kak-prohodyat-proverki-na-granice-belarusi-s-es-v-maje/">BGmedia read what users of cross-border Telegram chats wrote last week and at the beginning of this week about phone checks and interrogations at the Belarusian border (spelling and punctuation of the messages have been corrected with preservation of meaning, and some of them have been shortened).

Last week, the chat rooms wrote about the interrogations of Belarusians in a veiled manner and almost without details:

"Today at 12.25 [May 12] we left Warsaw (airport). At 15.30-17.00 passed the borders, but people are at the talk, waiting. Our bus towards RB was alone at the border at this time. But we are standing: a few - for conversation, one person - for personal inspection. And in the general mass of things through the tape. We leave [at 7.14 p.m.]."

"We left Warsaw at 7 [a.m.] Polish [May 14]. We arrived at the border - no one, but they didn't let us in for an hour and a half. No one on the bridge, no one in the RB before the control, but we waited for another hour and a half. Now we are at the passport office of the Belarusians, there are three buses at the exit and everyone is waiting from the interrogation. There are very few Belarusians in the bus, that in ours, that in front of us."

"LT - RB [May 15]. At 02.15 passport control RB. Things through the scanner, 2 Ukrainians. At 03.55 departed from passport control RB (passed earlier, but a particularly advanced passenger decided to carry a suitcase of pipes without declaring, we took [it] off, but in the end minus 45 minutes, part of the bus did not have time to dock). At 05.30 for 40 km to Minsk the bus broke down (30 people moved to Ecolines bus). 07.00 - bus station [Minsk]".

"RP - RB, 15.05-16.05. At 02.35 passed passport control Polish. At 03.55 we entered the bridge. At 04.30 we entered the Belarusian side. Buses were in 2 rows. At 07.30 passport and customs control of Belarus. Things to X-ray or hand inspection. Now we are waiting for another part of the bus. At 08.40 we left the border."

"Bus Warsaw - Minsk at 07.00 [May 15]. We arrived at the border at 10.10 and went straight to the passport office (Polish time). At 13.30 Belarusian time we passed the border. Waiting for people from the talk."

"Ecolines, LT-BY (full bus). May 18-19. 21.05-22.19 - LT border. 22.33-00.17 - RB border (as if all passed in an hour, and then waited another hour for someone and left without him). 02.12 - Minsk, bus station (according to the schedule at 02.00)."

How law enforcers check foreigners at the border

Last week in the border chats wrote that Belarusian customs officers paid special attention to citizens of Ukraine and Russia:

"At 01.13 we arrived at the border, at 14.16 we left. Total: 13 hours [May 17]. The delay is due to the Belarusian customs. There are 2 inspectors, passports of Russian Federation and Ukraine - full, thorough manual inspection. Belarusians are as lucky as they are, they can only go to the tape. As long as one bus is not finished - a new one is not called. It takes an hour and a half for a bus. So everyone have patience, who is waiting there in the back."

Mostly in the chat rooms write about the interrogation of Ukrainians at the border of Belarus:

"RP - RB, 12.05.25. At 02.35 we drove under the first canopy of the checkpoint BY. At 02.45 came out of the bus with things for control. At 03.45 passed passport control. Even Ukrainians were let out already. Huge queue for X-ray from two buses. It took 2-10 minutes for one person... At 06.10 we left for the city".

"Vilnius - Minsk [May 13]. At 12.20 we approached the barrier (1 Ecolines in front of us). At 13.20 with a protocol to one passenger we were registered in Lithuania. At 14.15 we registered in Belarus, we are waiting for Ukrainian citizens. At 14.30 we left the border".

"RP - RB, from 14.05 to 15.05, Polish time. At 23.23 we entered the Poles. At 00.47 we passed the Poles. At 04.30 passed the Belarusians, waited for the bus, waiting for the Ukrainians. At 05.20 we left the border."

"RP - RB [May 15]. We left Warsaw at 21.45, from the Belarusian border - at 08.50. Who are citizens of Ukraine - there was a conversation, the phone was looked at and bags were completely, but sausage and cheese were not taken away."

"Vilnius - Minsk, 18.05.2025. 09.05-09.15 - passport control of the Republic of Belarus (till 10.10 we were waiting for a citizen of Ukraine, but because of oversized luggage he stayed at the customs in the red corridor). 12.00 - Minsk bus station".

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com