Children From Vilnius Not Allowed to Enter Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarusian authorities have thwarted an exhibition of pictures by children of Vilnous arts school. The exhibition was to be opened in Minsk, Polish Radio informs.

Students of Vilnius arts school headed by schoolmaster Romualdas Karpavichus have been officially invited by one of Minsk schools. All documents necessary for the trip were in order. At the border crossing “Kamenny Loh” documents on bringing in children’s drawings were to be stamped. Without giving any explanations Belarusian border guards refused to set seals on documents. They demanded the director to leave the car with his students and return to Vilnius. It was allowed to take back the car with drawings only on the next day.

When the group returned to the border, incomprehensible things started. Every underage teenager was told to state the objective of the visit to Belarus in the written form. Because of indelicate actions of Belarusian border guards, a decision to return to Lithuania was reached. But the group could do so only after paying a fine of Euro 150 for a standing time and guarding of the car.

The director told that he could have never expected some political meaning found in children’s drawings. He had an impression Belarusian authorities intentionally thwart contacts between children of the neighbouring countries. The director of the arts school has addressed the Belarusian Embassy for explanations, but there is still no answer.