Lithuania extends migrant detention limit to a year

FILE PHOTO: Razor wire is seen in front of a Belarusian border marking pole in Druskininkai, Lithuania, November 4, 2021. REUTERS/Janis Laizans

(Reuters) - Migrants who cross into Lithuania from Belarus can be detained for up to a year, the Lithuanian parliament decided on Thursday, increasing an initial six-month detention limit.

Eighty-one lawmakers backed the lengthening of the six-month detention period, which was introduced in July https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuanian-parliament-votes-allow-mass-detention-asylum-seekers-2021-07-13 as part of plans to hold large numbers of migrants in camps near the border and deter others from trying to cross into the country. Fourteen lawmakers opposed the extension, while 15 abstained.