Belarus has canceled its order to ban entrance to Ukrainian poet and writer Serhiy Zhadan on the evening of Feb. 11, a few hours after issuing it. The novelist was detained by Belarusian police in his hotel room and ordered to leave the country within three days in Minsk on Feb. 11.
“Common sense and dignity win over documents written by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. I am very glad to have an opportunity to visit Belarus and deepen Ukrainian-Belarusian cultural ties,” he wrote on his Facebook page soon after the ban was canceled.
As he was detained, he blamed the action on Russia, which in 2016 banned him “for involvement in terrorist activities.” He said that Belarus and Kazakhstan follow common visa rules, so the Russian ban automatically applies to all three countries.
Zhadan thanked the diplomatic missions in Ukraine and Belarus, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin for “the efficiency and persistence” in resolving this issue.
“See you on a music show in Minsk in May,” he said.
