I had to laugh at "this country is not safe" :D my country also advised that, but I've been there many times. It's about the safest country in Europe IMHO.

It well may be the safest country in Europe, provided you shut your mouth instead of talking much about important matters.

Talking about matters that are important to the powers that be is always unsafe, unless you vehemently agree with them. You are only safe in the West if the government considers you a clown that nobody will pay attention to. Someone like Julian Assange they will do their darndest to destroy.

It's like China, respect the local politics and it's an amazing place to travel.

Much safer than let's say France.

With China, that might not be true given the recent unprompted stabbings of foreigners.

US professors on an exchange program: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna156485

A schoolbus of Japanese children: https://www.ft.com/content/954dd160-3102-477f-b816-1a1769f0a...

In China, everyone can tell you are a foreigner because of the ethnical/racial differencies.

These seem like isolated freak events in a big country, a bit like saying USA is dangerous because of school shoitings

It’s hardly a secret that the Chinese government stokes nationalist sentiment as a useful way to get legitimacy and distract from domestic issues. The problem with doing this is that you start flirting with the possibility of violence.

This isn’t even the first time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_anti-Japanese_demonstrati...

And the government is well aware of the dangers given that the opinions that they need to rein it in come from the same state media that promotes nationalist sentiment. Xi’s China in particular is far more nationalist than its predecessors.

Until some special operation happens or some other one off event.

At the same time, yes, I wouldn't worry for theft or robberies.

> Until some special operation happens or some other one off event.

It can happen in any country, so all counties are not safe?

especially given the violence in New york and California

America is safe to travel is what that New Zealand senior couple were thinking when they visited California.

its funny how some country is "safe" yet far far dangerous than these "that country is bad they are the enemies its not safe"

haha, western delusioners are downvoting

it's probably fairly safe until you are arrested and accused of being a spy in hope of bargaining for some sanction lifting deal with you country

seems to only happen if you actually criticize the government but you really shouldn't be doing that as a tourist/visitor/outsider in the first place.

In America you can make fun of the president and not fear repercussions but to me isn't all that important compared to the limitation in personal freedoms that doesn't exist in the so called "dangerous/enemy" countries.

For one, there is no fear of a certain ethnic groups known for committing the most violence against one group, there is no censorship of publishing those numbers and discussing it where as in America you would be labelled a racist because the mere existence of data is contradictory to its ideological narrative. HN is a very good microcosm of this "American freedom" where opposing/uncomfortable views (due to its truthfulness) are simply hidden from view. For example, there seems to be someone who was upset by my original comment about AMWF couple phenomenon in Eastern Europe and is now just routinely going through all my comments and flagging them presumably to get me to shut up (lol).

This encroachment of our right to know the right data impacts everybody in different ways and because people just think "oh poor them im not in that group so im fine" its extremely easy to manipulate public opinions and ultimately steal from them and their subsequent generations without them even knowing by getting to have an object to feel superior about even if it means poverty. One of your American presidents actually mentioned this long time ago.

I am not aware of Belarus having used that sort of behaviour, do you know of any examples?

It depends on your definition of safe. You won't be robbed. You may be assaulted on the street at night even in downtown Minsk. But the biggest risk is the state.

If someone in the security apparatus decides that you should be taken hostage, tortured and beaten to death to show off to your government, they will do it and there will be no way for your consulate to help you.

It's tougher for locals. Over 300,000 people out of around 9 mln left the country since 2020, escaping from prosecution, prison or simply as they lost their jobs because of a smiley, comment on social media or just because they were subscribed to an opposition Telegram channel.

You have to understand that street crime and organized crime are virtually non-existent because thugs rule the country.

> If someone in the security apparatus decides that you should be taken hostage, tortured and beaten to death to show off to your government, they will do it and there will be no way for your consulate to help you.

Nah, just don't break their laws, it's pretty simple.

European friends of mine visited Iran a few years ago, they even had some hookups with Tinder. I was very surprised at the time, their description felt like the opposite of what I was told about Iran by the media.

> Nah, just don't break their laws, it's pretty simple.

Merely opening this link [1] would send you into trouble irrespective of whether you are local or a tourist. This is the chatbot of an opposition media in exile, FYI. There is for sure a law under which you will be prosecuted.

[1] https://t.me/nextamail_bot

As I said, don't break their laws. When in Rome...

Nobody is going to learn all the laws of a country. When the laws/custom of a country are so different than yours that a trivially legal act in your country becomes highly illegal in that country you should avoid that country because who knows what else you'll do that'll get you into trouble.

Iran in particular has started to take foreigners hostage to trade prisoners with abroad. Laws don't matter much in Iran.

Same in Russia. Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced to 16 years in prison today.

Here is the case of a German citizen likely caught as hostage: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c28eym731zjo

Belarus shot down that hot air balloon some years ago, based on some lame excuse. Pretty sh#tty.

And landed a Ryanair plane, sending an interceptor for it. For that it became a no-fly zone well before the invasion of Ukraine from Belarus soil.

It's yet another Soviet country on the Great European Plains. Lots of forests, bliny, potatoes, and vodka. A thin coat of "western culture" (pizza and burger places, coke, etc.) over a poor state governed in a way that's been out of fashion in that part of Europe since 1989, now also a vassal state of Russia. People are "nice", but when you talk to them you realise the want western levels of prosperity (as seen in the movies) with the way of living that fits the mentality of Homo Sovieticus. It's not a pleasant mix.