Lithuania Begins Turning Back Migrants At Belarusian Border
udf.byVilnius's announcement on August 3 came one day after nearly 300 migrants came across the border from Belarus Border guards in EU-member Lithuania have begun turning back illegal migrants attempting to enter the country from neighboring Belarus, as Brussels expressed concerns about Minsk using migrants as a political instrument. Some 180 migrants, most of them Iraqi citizens, were directed back to Belarus on August 3 on orders from the Lithuanian Interior Ministry, which authorized border guards to use force if necessary. «Anyone who tries to enter Lithuanian territory illegally will be refused entry and directed to the nearest operational international border control point,» Border Guard Service head Rustamas Liubajevas told reporters..
