Lithuania’s parliament has declared a state of emergency at the country’s border with Belarus and at camps hosting migrants who arrived from there, according to a tally of votes.
The state of emergency, which begins at midnight local time (2200 GMT) in the night of Tuesday to Wednesday and is to last a month, allows border guards to use “mental coercion” and “proportional physical violence” to prevent migrants from entering Lithuania.
EU member states accuse Belarus of encouraging illegal migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa to cross the border into the EU in revenge for sanctions already slapped on Minsk over human rights abuses.
Lithuania’s declaration bans all travel to within five kilometres of the Belarus border, unless allowed by border guards. Mobile phones could be taken away from migrants and public gatherings near the border and in the camps could be forbidden.
Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte told parliament that the measures would also deter anyone seeking to aid migrants adding that People who live, and work near the border will be able to continue to do so, but people who want to get there, it will be harder for them to do so.
Lithuania on Monday said it was moving troops to the Belarus border to prepare for a possible influx of migrants.
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