On Wednesday, Belarusian border guards found an Iraqi immigrant who was brutally murdered in the border town of Medininkai with Lithuania, amid political tensions, some related to immigration between the two countries.
The unofficial Telegram channel "Paul Pervogo" reported that the Iraqi immigrant "died in front of the Belarusian border guards", noting that "Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was immediately informed of the shocking death of the Iraqi returning from Lithuania."
Lukashenko ordered the opening of an investigation into the death of the Iraqi immigrant, as well as finding the relatives of the deceased and issuing them a visa that would enable them to enter Belarus and receive the body, according to "Paul Pervogo."
Lithuanian authorities suspect Belarus of coordinating the flow of migrants, especially from Iraqis, in response to EU sanctions against Belarus.
On Tuesday, Lithuania announced that it would deport migrants who try to enter its territory.
Despite Belarus's denials, the European Union sees Minsk using migrants as a weapon to pressure its neighbor, which hosts opponents of the Belarusian regime, in particular Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
"Unfortunately, migrants are again being used as a weapon," EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said at the end of July, and asked the Iraqi authorities to justify why Baghdad airport was used to transport migrants to Belarus from where they illegally move to Lithuania.
On Tuesday, Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatoly Glaz rejected what he described as "false accusations that contradict reality."
On Tuesday, the Belarusian border guards announced the return of about 40 migrants, including women and children, to its territory "wounded" after being returned to Lithuania.
Lithuania, with a population of 2.8 million, recorded the entry of more than 4,000 immigrants this year, most of them Iraqis, compared to 81 in all of 2020.