Polish bank denies Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya account over expired passport

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was denied a bank account in Poland because her passport has expired, Meduza reports. She disclosed the setback on independent Belarusian radio, noting that many others fleeing Belarus face the same barrier when trying to establish legal status and banking access in exile. The root cause is a September twenty twenty-three decree by Alexander Lukashenko halting passport renewals at embassies abroad—requiring citizens to return home to obtain them. For opposition figures like Tsikhanouskaya, that's an impossible choice: returning risks criminal prosecution. She told the radio station that Poland isn't ignoring the problem, but progress is slow amid the country's own challenges and its influx of Ukrainian and Belarusian populations. Some nations, including Spain, have begun recognizing expired Belarusian passports, offering a workaround for those caught in this bind.

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