Evan Neumann, who is wanted on a number of charges in relation to the January 6th 2021 protests, has been granted asylum in Belarus after alleging “political persecution” in the U.S.
California man Evan Neumann has officially been granted asylum in Belarus over allegations he was being politically persecuted in the United States.
Neumann is wanted on a number of criminal charges in the U.S., having been accused of assaulting a police officer during the now-infamous January 6th protests which occurred in Washington DC in 2021.
According to a report by British state-owned broadcaster the BBC, Neumann’s asylum claim has been accepted by Belarus, the country having officially granted the 48-year old asylum status.
“Now you are completely under the protection of the Republic of Belarus,” Neumann was reportedly told by one of the country’s immigration officials in an event filmed by Belarusian state broadcaster Belta.
“I am glad Belarus took care of me. I am upset to find myself in a situation where I have problems in my own country,” the Californian is reported as telling the Belarusian broadcaster regarding his “mixed feelings” on his accepted asylum application.
Neumann has previously spoken out on the charges levied against him by U.S. authorities, saying that he is a victim of “political persecution”.
“It’s terrible,” he said back in November. “It is a political persecution, not a criminal investigation, but political persecution.”
“I do not consider myself having inflicted any harm,” he continued. “One of the charges was particularly insulting, namely that I hit a police officer. This has no grounds at all.”
A close ally of Russia, Belarus was at odds with the West long before the resumption of active hostilities in Ukraine.
Led by Alexander Lukashenko, the country has been accused of engaging in “hybrid warfare” against the European Union by orchestrating a migrant crisis at the Polish border.
Since the escalations of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, Belarus has been further accused of routing Middle Eastern migrants through the war-torn country — which Lukashenko is currently helping Russia invade — and into the West.
Some reports go so far as to suggest that some migrants have been forced at gunpoint out of Belarusian territory and into that of Poland and Ukraine.
However, despite these accusations, Lukashenko has always been flippant about his government’s actions, saying he wouldn’t even bother to investigate whether or not his forces were aiding illegal immigration to the EU.
“Our guys are helping the migrants get into Polish territory?” the Belarusian previously said in response to one question on the topic. “It’s perfectly possible, I think that’s absolutely possible. Maybe someone helped them.”
“I won’t even look into this,” he said.
“I told the EU I’m not going to detain migrants on the border, hold them at the border, and if they keep coming from now on I still won’t stop them, because they’re not coming to my country, they’re going to yours.”
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