Kiev
Ukraine received its first three asylum seekers this week, and the government has no idea what to do with them. Long criticized for its poor human-rights record, rigged elections, corruption-ridden government, and dismal economy, Ukraine is used to seeing its own citizens seek asylum in the West. But this week, three history teachers from neighboring Belarus applied for asylum in Ukraine. The three said Belarusian police had interrogated and beaten them because of their criticism of the rigidly authoritarian, Soviet-style president. Valentyna Subotenko of Ukraine’s Citizenship Department told Radio Free Europe that the government is researching the laws on how to handle an asylum application. In the meantime, the three men are sleeping in a tent village in Kiev along with hundreds of Ukrainian coal miners, who came to the capital to protest dangerous working conditions and low pay.
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