The problem of political emigration in Eastern Europe has always been acute, but in the last year the problem has been significantly exacerbated. First and foremost, we are talking about Belarus. Alexander Lukashenko, who illegally retains power, continues to carry out large-scale political persecution of the opposition and protesters. People are forced to flee, rightly fearing for their lives. Many political migrants especially from Belarus are now in Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine.
At the same time, a new round of political emigration from Russia should be expected. An upward trend in this indicator has been observed over past years, since Putin's return to power in 2012. Now, it may intensify due to the protests and the situation surrounding Alexeï Navalny. As the report of the Atlantic Council showed in 2019, 40% of Russian emigrants in Western Europe and the United States said that they had left because of the general political climate, 33% because of a lack of political rights and 29% mentioned political persecution and violation of human rights (according to the survey methodology, more than one reason could be given).
Forced political emigration is a fundamental violation of human rights and generally accepted democratic principles. The Parliamentary Assembly should carefully study this issue and present a report calling for an end to politically motivated persecution and the creation of conditions that would make it easier for those who need to obtain refugee status.