Former Belarusian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Leshchenya would be the first diplomat to be granted asylum by Slovakia if he asked for it, director of the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry press department Juraj Tomaga said on Monday. According to Slovak legislation, diplomatic status is not supposed to make any difference in asylum proceedings. Like anyone else, a diplomat would have to specify in his application why he or she was seeking asylum, such as persecution for political opinions, stated Tomaga adding that "Slovakia has not yet resolved such a situation in practice".
Leshchenya resigned from the post of ambassador to Slovakia last Tuesday (August 18) after supporting those in Belarus protesting against the allegedly falsified results of the presidential election in the country won by incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko.
