Belarus expels two UK diplomats after they are accused of engaging in activities of a ‘destructive nature’
- Pair engaged in activities of ‘destructive nature’, said Belarusian foreign ministry
- They had been collecting information about anti-government protests in Belarus
- The diplomats were named as Lisa Thumwood and Timothy Wight-Boycott
Two senior British diplomats have been declared ‘persona non grata’ by authoritarian state Belarus.
The pair were engaged in activities of a ‘destructive nature’, said Belarusian foreign ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz.
State TV channel ONT said they had been collecting information about anti-government protests in Belarus and the political situation in general.
Two senior British diplomats have been declared ‘persona non grata’ by authoritarian state Belarus, where tens of thousands have been demonstrating against ‘rigged’ elections
The diplomats, who had already left, were named as Lisa Thumwood and Timothy Wight-Boycott.
Last night, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the expulsion for ‘legitimately observing protests’ was ‘wholly unjustified’.
Tens of thousands have been demonstrating against the re-election of president Alexander Lukashenko in August, widely said to have been rigged.
Thousands of protesters have been arrested, with widespread claims of torture at detention centres.
In September, Britain and Canada slapped sanctions on Lukashenko, citing the ‘fraudulent elections’.
Last month Britain joined several eastern European nations in withdrawing its ambassador from strife-torn Belarus.
Last night, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (pictured) said the expulsion for ‘legitimately observing protests’ was ‘wholly unjustified’
Announcing the step, Mr Glaz claimed that their work was not compatible with the status of a diplomat.
On Sunday, police detained 1,048 people at demonstrations in Belarus, rights group Viasna said.
It was the largest number of protesters that police have swept up since a brutal post-vote crackdown by security services saw nearly 7,000 detained over several days and sparked widespread claims of torture and abuse in detention centres.
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