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By Victoria Butenko, Caitlin Danaher and Max Saltman, CNN
(CNN) — An American citizen has been detained in Belarus after being accused of attempting to sneak into the country on a cargo train by Belarusian authorities.
The 27-year-old unnamed American man was traveling in the empty carriage of a train from neighbouring Lithuania when he was found by custom officers at Maladzyechnatrain station, Belarus’ customs authority said in a statement on Monday.
The man, identified as a “border violator,” was promptly detained by customs officials before being handed over to the border service for further investigation, the statement said.
In an email, a US State Department spokesperson said that the department is “aware of reports of a U.S. citizen detained in Belarus.”
“In all cases when a U.S. citizen is arrested abroad, the Department monitors the case closely and provides appropriate consular assistance when we are able to do so,” the spokesperson continued.
“Due to privacy considerations,” however, the department had no further comment.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration secured the release of two US citizens who were being held prisoner in Belarus. One American, who was not named out of a request for his privacy, was among a group of three political prisoners freed in February, while Anastassia Nuhfer was released in January.
The State Department has advised Americans not to travel to Belarus, citing the Belarusian authorities’ arbitrary enforcement of local laws and the risk of detention as key factors.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government has long been accused of a crackdown on dissidents and opposition detaining scores of them.
Europe’s longest-serving leader extended his 31-year rule in Belarus in January, with Lukashenko winning a presidential election that was widely denounced as a sham by his exiled opponents and Western countries.
Under the first Trump administration, the US had sought diplomatic rapprochement with Minsk. Those efforts were put aside after Lukashenka self-proclaimed electoral victory and massive crackdown on protesters and civil society in August 2020, which Trump administration officials condemned at the time.
CNN’s Jennifer Hansler and Christian Edwards contributed reporting.
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