To leave your home country because of your political views. The Story of Natalia, a Refugee from Belarus

January 19, 2022

What will you do if you suddenly become a foreigner in your home country and start receiving violent threats because of your political views? The only logical step in such a situation is to run away. And this is exactly what Natalia, a refugee from Belarus did (ed.note - name changed due to safety concerns). The woman arrived in Ukraine in August 2020 due to political pressure from the Belarusian authorities. She was forced to do so.

The salvation for her was obtaining refugee status in Ukraine. The woman turned to the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) for help, where she received essential legal aid.

The lawyers of the organization helped Natalia to fill in all the necessary documents and submit them to the State Migration Service for consideration.

“The applicant received all the necessary information about the refugee recognition procedure in Ukraine and was assisted in filling in the documents and providing evidence. Due to quarantine restrictions, she was unable to apply to the migration service within the statutory deadline, but due to her persistence and the legal consultations from R2P, on the last day of Ms.Natalia's legal stay in Ukraine the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) accepted her application,”

Finally, Ms. Natalia's application was approved and the SMSU decided to recognize her as a refugee in Ukraine.

This was a difficult path and lots of hard work, but together with Ms. Natalia, we were able to make it real.

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