EU Toughens Visa Process for Belarus Officials Over Migrant Crisis

EU Toughens Visa Process for Belarus Officials Over Migrant Crisis
A general view of the Belarusian-Polish border fence, in this handout image provided by the Polish Ministry of Defense, on Nov. 9, 2021. Polish Ministry of Defense via Getty Images
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BRUSSELS—European Union governments partially suspended on Tuesday a visa facilitation deal for Belarusian officials in response to a “hybrid attack” that Brussels says Minsk is waging by pushing illegal immigrants across its borders with Poland and Lithuania.

The EU accuses Belarus of encouraging illegal migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Africa to cross the border into the bloc in revenge for sanctions slapped on Minsk over human rights abuses.