BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

25/07/2008

Act of vandalism committed against Lithuanian embassy in Belarus

The act of vandalism against the Lithuanian embassy in Belarus was committed during the night from Thursday to Friday. The protest regarding this incident was expressed by diplomats, reports ELTA.

According to representatives of Foreign Ministry, bottles were broken over the wall surrounding the Lithuanian embassy in Minsk as well as slips of paper with text signed by the National Bolsheviks Party were thrown and the national bolshevist symbols were painted on the wall of the embassy.

The slip of paper signed by the National Bolsheviks expresses the protest against amendments to the law passed by the Seimas on June 17 2008, which bans the use of soviet symbols during public events.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Lithuanian Ambassador to Belarus Edminas Bagdonas requested from officials of the foreign affairs ministry in Belarus to examine the situation, find perpetrators as well as take actions so that in the future the immunity of Lithuanian embassy would not be violated and all norms of diplomatic relations of Vienna convention of 1961 would be followed.

Because of the violation of immunities of the Lithuanian diplomatic representation guaranteed by the Vienna convention of 1961 on diplomatic relations, in order to examine all circumstances of the events the admission of documents in Belarus Consular Branch of the Lithuanian embassy was temporarily stopped. The consular help will be provided only to Lithuanian citizens over this period of time.

Source:

http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/baltic_news/?doc=1230

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