Lithuania urges travellers to leave Iran and nine other countries

Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry advises travellers to leave 10 countries immediately, including Iran, where two Lithuanian women have been detained, LRT reported. The ministry says providing them with consular assistance is extremely difficult.

The women, who had been missing since October 11, were detained in Iran in mid-October, the ministry confirmed. Iran is marked black on the ministry’s travel-advice map, the category for countries travellers are advised to leave immediately.

The map uses five colours to indicate travel advice. Green means there are no specific recommendations, while yellow advises travellers to take precautions. For orange countries, the ministry recommends assessing whether the trip is necessary; it advises against travel to red countries.

The 10 countries marked black are Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Mali, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Myanmar, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran.

Remigijus Motuzas, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Lithuania’s parliament, told LRT that consular assistance includes contacting local authorities to establish why someone has been detained and trying to reach the detainee to check on their treatment, rights and access to medical care. Assistance can also be provided to relatives, and detainees may receive legal support.

Motuzas said Lithuania must help its citizens in an emergency even if they travelled against official advice. If Lithuania has no diplomatic mission in the country where a citizen is detained, it seeks help from other European Union countries that can act as intermediaries. He said this is the case with Iran.

Tags: Iran, travel advice, consular assistance