Lithuania’s “black list” will henceforth be able to include foreigners who have openly expressed support for an aggressive policy of another country that violates international law, the Seimas decided on Thursday.
Relevant amendments to the law on the legal status of aliens were supported by 113 deputies of the Seimas, one voted against and 16 members of parliament abstained.
“We simply want to deny entry to those who not only directly commit serious crimes against human rights, commit corrupt crimes, launder money, but also actively promote international crimes, legitimize or promote occupation,” said one of the initiators of the draft amendment. head of the committee Žīgimants Paviļonis.
“We have seen more than one representative of the ‘soft power’ in Lithuania, and it would be very good if they did not prepare the ground and later, winning hearts and minds, turn against us or our neighbors, and this is especially important in the Ukrainian context,” he added.
The amendments to the law adopted by the Seimas stipulate that persons who have publicly actively expressed support for foreign activities that violate the principles and norms of international law, or have themselves participated in such activities, may be prohibited from entering Lithuania for up to five years.
The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens now stipulates that a foreign citizen may not be admitted to Lithuania if there are serious grounds to believe that he or she has committed a serious or very serious crime against a person, thus violating generally recognized human rights and freedoms, committing corrupt criminal acts, inciting such acts. or otherwise participated in them, is included in the national list of aliens of another Member State of the European Union, a member state of the European Free Trade Association or a North Atlantic Treaty Organization who are prohibited from entering the respective country.
Aliens who may endanger national security or public order are also not admitted to Lithuania.
Discussions about expanding the so-called blacklist in Lithuanian society arose in connection with the news that the Culture Council had awarded subsidies for cultural events that had not taken place or been postponed due to the Covid-19 epidemic to companies planning concerts by Russian artists Philip Kirkorov and Mikhail Shufutinski.
It has already been reported that on January 19, at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Lithuanian Migration Department included Kirkorov in the list of foreigners banned from entering Lithuania for justifying the occupation of Crimea. This entry ban will be valid for five years.
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