Quote Originally Posted by Dmitry Khomitchuk View Post
It is very hard to become immigrant in Belarus. Any crime - go away for 2 up to 10 years. Every citizenship application is confirmed by the president.
Because of universal compulsory education if children don't go to school, they become unparent and the state force ex-parents to work because they should pay for their ex-children. You are not allowed to stay in country if you don't have work or don't study at the university.
So the state takes the children from the parents, if the parents don't make the children go to school...
That is probably a quite efficient system.

I saw no gangs, vandalism or hooligans when I was in Belarus and I visited lots of different places. It's clean, quite well looked after and regular people are honest, at least they were to me. Everyone has a job. I got quite a good impression of Belarus.

But then at the same time I heard lots of bad things --- I met two people who really hated the president, and |English speaking media write that those who want to protest are not allowed and sometimes imprisoned or penalised. Some people live on very little money and find it very hard, blaming the government. But likewise, in Minsk many have a good and peaceful lifestyle - certainly much better than in the areas that the would-be refugees come from, in the Middle East and Africa. It's hard to form an opinion about Belarus. I am really glad I went there though - I had a very nice time.

I did see a few Arab and other Middle Eastern people in Minsk - not many. I could hear them speaking Arabic and the women were wearing headscarves etc. They were eating at a restaurant and shopping at a market. Don't know what they were doing in Minsk - could be anything, I guess. I think I saw one black person for the entire time I was in Belarus, over two months.