SECURITIZING RHETORIC AND DISCRIMINATORY STATEMENTS BY LITHUANIAN OFFICIALS REGARDING BELARUSIANS (2020–2025)

The report documents 2020–2025 rhetoric by Lithuanian officials casting Belarusians as security threats—without evidence—contrary to EU rights norms.

I. Introduction

This document records instances of securitizing and discriminatory rhetoric, as well as public statements and official comments made by Evelina Gudzinskaitė, Head of the Migration Department of Lithuania, that display signs of bias and xenophobia toward citizens of Belarus as a national group.

The analysis covers the period from 2020 to 2025 and is based on statements published in the media, official press releases, and social media.

The purpose of this study is to identify consistent elements of discriminatory and xenophobic rhetoric by the Head of the Lithuanian Migration Department, in which Belarusians are persistently portrayed as a “risk group” or a “potential national security threat.”

This portrayal is not supported by statistical data or factual circumstances, which indicates the artificial and politically motivated nature of such statements.

Such statements by Lithuanian officials contradict fundamental international norms — the principles of non-discrimination, individual assessment, and respect for human dignity — as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights (Articles 3, 6, 8, and 14), EU Regulation No. 2018/1861, and the national legislation of the Republic of Lithuania.

Belarusians constitute the second-largest group of migrants and refugees in Lithuania after Ukrainian citizens (see official data of the Lithuanian Migration Department, 2024)¹. However, in practice they have faced the opposite approach — not one of protection and integration, but of distrust, hostility, paranoia, administrative pressure, political manipulation, and social exclusion.

In official and public statements made by representatives of the Head of the Lithuanian Migration Department, there are recurring signs of bias, a presumption of disloyalty, and unfounded accusations of posing a “national security threat,” unsupported by any evidence.

Such rhetoric contributes to the formation of a persistent public negative image of Belarusians — as presumed agents of the Belarusian regime, sources of criminal risk, or instruments of foreign influence.

Meanwhile, official statistics from the Ministry of the Interior and Lithuanian courts contain no evidence of an increase in crime due to Belarusians and no recorded public criminal cases accusing Belarusian citizens of espionage or subversive activity. Nevertheless, the narrative of “threat” continues to be systematically reproduced in the public space, fueling dehumanization and xenophobic stigmatization of Belarusian migrants and asylum seekers.

This report consolidates the results of the analysis of public statements by Evelina Gudzinskaitė, demonstrating how elements of securitizing rhetoric contribute to the normalization and institutionalization of discriminatory practices against Belarusians in Lithuania.

II. Table of Public Statements (2020–2025)

Statements by Evelina Gudzinskaitė (Director of the Migration Department)

“If we do not want to take risks, then during wartime people from this group should not be allowed in at all. Moreover, when there is an opportunity to bring in workers from other countries — why pull the lion by its whiskers?”

Source: Reform.news (republication of an interview for Delfi) — “In Lithuania, the refusals of residence permits to Belarusians explained…”².

Context/Date: Comment concerning the “most risky” category of Belarusian labour migrants (drivers, construction workers) and the tightening of admission rules; May 22, 2023.

Assessment: A generalised attribution of “risk” based on citizenship/profession; the recommendation to “not allow them in at all” constitutes securitizing rhetoric that contradicts the principle of individual assessment and the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of nationality (Article 14 ECHR).

“In essence, this group ‘consumes’ most of our resources… if we want to live safely… people from this group should not be allowed in at all.”

Source: Reform.news.

Context/Date: Argument about the “costliness” of Belarusian applicants used as justification for restrictive measures; December 26, 2023.

Assessment: Economic-utilitarian stigmatization of a group based on nationality → substitution of individual assessment with aggregate labels of “costliness” and “risk”; risk of discrimination on the basis of citizenship (Article 14 ECHR).

“Most of the ‘national security threats’ come from Belarusian citizens who arrive and take up jobs as truck drivers or construction workers.”

Source: Reform.news

Context/Date: Linking “threats” to Belarusians in specific professions; December 26, 2023.

Assessment: Formation of a negative stereotype combining citizenship and occupation; risk of indirect discrimination (Article 14 ECHR) and substitution of factual evidence with typologization.

“Since the beginning of the year, 309 Belarusian citizens have been denied residence permits on the grounds of national security threats… precisely because of the war, the department has tightened control.”

Source: Reform.news³

Context/Date: Explanation of the increase in refusals for Belarusians and the introduction of special screening questionnaires; December 26, 2023.

Assessment: Direct correlation between citizenship and “tightened control”; risk of selective application of security criteria and violation of procedural safeguards (Article 6 ECHR).

“Lithuania remains open to those fleeing the Lukashenko regime.”

Source: Reform.news — In Lithuania, the refusals of residence permits to Belarusians explained: assessment tightened due to the war.

Context/Date: Response to criticism from Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya after the suspension of consideration of 2,000 Belarusian residence permit applications; it was unsubstantiatedly claimed that support for repressed Belarusians “continued.” December 26, 2023.

Assessment:

– The statement contradicts the facts: in 2023, 1,099 Belarusians were refused, of whom 939 were categorized as “national security threats.”

– A clear double standard: rhetoric of “support” contradicts the practice of mass refusals, violating Article 14 ECHR.

– Indirect discrimination — discrepancy between declared humanitarian openness and actual administrative barriers.

“Lithuania’s immigration policy should not favor agents of hostile regimes, terrorists, or radicals who promote ideas denying Lithuania’s statehood.”

Source: LRT.lt ⁴

Context/Date: Discussion on the filtering of migrants; it was noted that 77% of those granted asylum in 2023 were Belarusians; December 20, 2023.

Assessment:

– Equates Belarusians with “agents” and “terrorists” without evidence, violating the principle of individual assessment.

– Reinforces stigmatization and influences the decisions of the Migration Department and the courts.

– Direct discrimination on the grounds of nationality (Article 14 ECHR).

“If we receive a conclusion that a person poses a threat or supports a hostile regime, the Migration Department initiates citizenship revocation procedures.”

Source: Vis24.lt ⁵

Context/Date: Explanation of refusals and suspension of around 2,000 Belarusian residence permit applications; emphasis on intensified checks due to the war; December 27, 2023.

Assessment:

– Based on non-transparent conclusions by the State Security Department (VSD), depriving applicants of the right to defense (Article 6 ECHR).

– Mass refusals and suspensions indicate formalism and the absence of individual assessment.

– Indirect discrimination on the grounds of nationality.

“20–30% of migrants receiving residence permits use the document as a cover.”

Source: News.zerkalo.io ⁶

Context/Date: Discussion on tightening migration policy, particularly regarding Belarusians; December 26, 2023.

Assessment:

– Accusations of abuse without evidence stigmatize low-skilled Belarusian migrants.

– Such rhetoric justifies restrictions while disregarding their economic contribution to Lithuania.

– Indirect discrimination based on social and national status (Article 14 ECHR).

“[Special] questionnaire for citizens of Russia and Belarus… in the first year — 2,041 decisions on residence permit revocation due to threats.”

Source: Migration.lt (official) — “Questionnaire… More Than 2,000 Decisions…”; LRT — “Lithuania identifies 2,000 threats…”⁷.

Context/Date: Differentiated screening based on citizenship; November 2023 – February 2024.

Assessment: A special verification regime based on nationality; high risk of indirect discrimination (Article 14 ECHR) and insufficient procedural scrutiny (Article 6 ECHR).

“598 Belarusian citizens were recognized as posing a threat…”

Source: LRT — “Over 700 Russians, Belarusians deemed a threat…”; “More than 700 Belarusians and Russians Recognized as a Threat…”⁸

Context/Date: Annual report of the Migration Department; January 29, 2025 – February 4, 2025.

Assessment: Officially confirmed mass application of “threat” classifications; in the absence of disclosed evidence, indicates a systemic bias against Belarusians.

“As of June 2025… 121 refusals, 303 non-renewals, and 97 revocations [of residence permits for Belarusians] due to national security threats.”

Source: Pozirk — “Due to frequent trips home and previous work in Belavia…”⁹ ¹⁰ ¹¹

Context/Date: Statistical summary presented by the Director of the Migration Department; July 22, 2025.

Assessment: The scale of “threat” labeling demonstrates a systemic securitization of the group; risks of opacity of grounds (Article 6 ECHR) and disproportionality.

“[Priority] — national security… [the grounds] were frequent trips to Belarus and previous employment with Belavia.”

Source: LRT — “Declared a security threat, Belarusian woman faces deportation…”¹²

Context/Date: Case of a Belarusian woman denied residence permit renewal; September 8, 2025.

Assessment: Use of biographical or family ties to Belarus as a proxy criterion of “disloyalty”; risk of disproportionate interference (Article 8 ECHR) and lack of individualized evidentiary assessment (Articles 6 and 14 ECHR).

B. Additional Supporting Materials (Scale of the Practice)

“In 2023, 910 Belarusians were recognized as a threat…”

Source: LRT — “Lithuania deems 1,164 Belarusian and Russian nationals a threat…” ¹³

Context/Date: Press release of the Migration Department; August 4, 2023.

Assessment: A consistent increase in “threat” designations concerning Belarusians; indicates risks of selectivity and stereotyping.

2. “In the first year of the questionnaires… 1,644 Belarusian citizens were recognized as a ‘threat’ to national security.”

Source: LRT — “Lithuania identifies 2,000 threats…”; UNN — summary repost referencing the Migration Department. ¹⁴

Context/Date: Official communication by the Migration Department; November 22–23, 2023.

Assessment: Confirms a disproportionate share of Belarusians among those labeled as “threats.”

Conclusion

The securitizing and discriminatory rhetoric of Lithuanian officials — primarily the leadership of the Migration Department — toward citizens of Belarus is systemic in nature and exhibits signs of violations of the fundamental international standards for the protection of human rights and refugee rights.

This approach contradicts:

– Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits degrading treatment and establishes the state’s positive obligation to protect asylum seekers from stigmatization and threats;

– Article 6 ECHR, guaranteeing the right to a fair and individualized examination of cases, thereby excluding the automatic designation of persons as “national security threats” without a transparent evidentiary basis;

– Article 8 ECHR, protecting the right to respect for private and family life, which is violated by arbitrary revocations and refusals of residence permits on the grounds of biographical links to Belarus;

– Article 14 ECHR, which enshrines the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of nationality or national origin;

– The 1951 Refugee Convention (Article 33), which prohibits collective expulsions and discrimination among asylum seekers;

– The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Articles 18 and 21), guaranteeing the right to asylum and the prohibition of discrimination.

The systematic reproduction of the “threat” narrative in relation to Belarusian citizens establishes an institutionalized bias that undermines the foundations of the rule of law and the principle of individual responsibility.

As a result, Belarusians in Lithuania find themselves in a position of a vulnerable and stigmatized group, deprived of effective guarantees of fair trial and equal treatment — a situation incompatible with Lithuania’s obligations as a member state of the European Union and the Council of Europe

1 https://migracija.lrv.lt/lt/statistika/migracijos-metrasciai/

2 https://reform.news/v-litve-objasnili-otkazy-v-vnzh-belarusam-iz-za-vojny-ocenka-uzhestochilas

3 https://reform.news/309-grazhdan-belarusi-ne-smogli-poluchit-vnzh-litvy-iz-za-ugrozy-nacbezopasnosti

4 https://www.lrt.lt/ru/novosti/17/2155010/gudzinskaite-migrantov-proshedshikh-fil-try-bezopasnosti-nuzhno-prinimat-bez-iskusstvennykh-prepiatstvii

5 https://www.vis24.lt/index.php/v-litve/4299-glava-departamenta-migratsii-za-uzhestochenie-zakonov-v-otnoshenii-inostrantsev-v-litve

6 https://news.zerkalo.io/life/57227.html

7 https://www.migration.lt/questionnaire-of-the-migration-department-for-russian-and-belarusian-nationals-more-than-2000-decisions-concerning-threats-posed-by-russian-and-belarusian-nationals-were-taken-within-a-year

8 https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2472521/over-700-russians-belarusians-deemed-threat-to-lithuania-s-security-last-year?srsltid=AfmBOoqNjn6tP5CxBMnlZ98ZHp94-1dB96zq5V71oRA7Y8tzYMO-P2dm

9 https://pozirk.online/ru/news/24452/

10 https://www.delfi.lt/ru/news/live/iz-litvy-vysylayut-vse-bolshe-rossiyan-i-belorusov-ranshe-takaya-prichina-byla-redkoj-93421691

11 https://pozirk.online/ru/news/147647/

12 https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2662523/declared-a-security-threat-belarusian-woman-faces-deportation-from-lithuania