For violation of the entry ban – criminal liability

According to the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons in the Republic of Belarus", foreigners staying in the Republic of Belarus are obliged to observe the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and other legislative acts, to respect the state symbols of the Republic of Belarus and its national traditions. Foreigners who have committed crimes or administrative offenses on the territory of our country bear responsibility on a general basis.

 In accordance with Art. 65 of the aforementioned Law, a foreigner may be expelled from the Republic of Belarus in the interests of the national security of the Republic of Belarus, public order, protection of morality, public health, rights and freedoms of citizens of the Republic of Belarus and other persons, as well as after release from a detention center or correctional institution, if they cannot be deported.

Entry into the Republic of Belarus for such a person is prohibited for a certain period.

Article 371-2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus provides for responsibility for the stay in the Republic of Belarus of a foreign citizen or a stateless person, deported or expelled from the Republic of Belarus, until the expiration of the period of prohibition of entry into the Republic of Belarus in the absence of signs of a crime provided for by Part 2 of Article 371 of this Code. A person who has committed such a crime may be sentenced to a fine, arrest, or imprisonment for a term of up to one year.

Crimes of this category are not rare; since the beginning of the year, prosecutors of the Vitebsk Transport Prosecutor's Office alone have supported the state prosecution in 5 criminal cases. The accused have been sentenced to arrest for a term of 3 months (each).

Senior Assistant of the Vitebsk Transport Prosecutor S.V. Sazonova