Belarus, where the opposition was driven out by repression, is now refusing to issue passports to its citizens abroad, exiled opposition leader Svitlana Tikhanovskaya said on Tuesday, a day after the publication of a decree to that effect signed by Alexander Lukashenko, according to AFP.

“Today, the Lukashenka regime deprived Belarusians abroad of the opportunity to obtain new passports at diplomatic missions,” she reported on X (formerly Twitter).

“We are working with the host countries to resolve the situation and prepare a new Belarusian passport. If the state abandons its duty to take care of its citizens, we will not do it,” she added.

Before a direct appeal to citizens of Belarus living abroad, in Telegram: “Please do not panic and do not take hasty actions. Even if your passport expires, you should not return to your country of origin if you are at risk of persecution there,” said the Leader of the Opposition.

“No document in the world is worth human freedom,” she added.

According to a decree signed on Monday by Belarusian leader Oleksandr Lukashenko, citizens of Belarus will be able to obtain or renew their passports only at the “consular department at the place of last registration” in Belarus.