After the start of protests in Belarus, Latvia announced its readiness to host Belarusian residents who do not agree to live under the “Lukashenko’s regime”. Two men spoke about their residence in the refugee center in an interview with Latvian Television. It is reported by eadaily.com.
Rodion Beglyak and Yuri Kapylov have been in the refugee center in Mucenieki for about two months. The center provides housing and an allowance of €3 per day. But for such a sum it is difficult to meet basic needs.
“For food, if you cook for yourself, it’s enough. But no matter what else”, – said Rodion Beglyak.
Asylum seekers are prohibited from earning money on their own by the Immigration Law, which states that employment is only possible after six months after arriving in the country.
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs says that the first decisions to alleviate the fate of Belarusian refugees are unlikely to be before mid-December, and therefore people can only wait.
As of early November, 21 residents of Belarus have applied for asylum in Latvia. Of these, 15 people live in the Riga refugee center in Mucenieki.