| Abstract [eng] |
The 2021 migration crisis in Lithuania marked the country’s first experience of migration instrumentalization, in which migrants were used by Belarus as a tool to destabilize the state. This crisis created tensions between national security priorities and the protection of human rights. Continued Belarusian provocations and hybrid threats, such as the use of meteorological balloons posing risks to Lithuanian airspace, demonstrate that this pressure has persisted beyond 2021. Therefore, this study remains highly relevant in analysing the impact of instrumentalization and the selection of security narratives in response to hybrid threats. Although institutional responses and enhanced security measures contributed to the stabilization of the situation, Lithuania received both domestic and international criticism for for human rights violations, non-compliance with international obligations and especially for the pushback policy, restrictions on migrants’ freedom of movement within the territory of Lithuania. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the 2021 migration crisis in Lithuania through the theoretical lenses of migration instrumentalization, securitization, and human rights. The study seeks to explore the interconnections between competing discourses within the context of human rights and democratic governance. |
