Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko Tuesday hosted a meeting to discuss “issues related to granting citizenship,” including new legislation that proposes stripping “extremists” of their citizenship.

The Minister of Internal Affairs Ivan Vladimirovich Kubrakov, who drafted the legislation, stated that the proposal was “to strip a person who is outside of Belarus of [their] citizenship, including birthright citizenship, if a court in the Republic of Belarus confirms the participation of such a person in extremist activities.

Lukashenko said of the proposed legislation, “[W]e have to take care of the security of our state. On the other hand, decent and hardworking citizens are the most important asset of our country. Those who sincerely want to become citizens of our country and to contribute to its development are always welcome on Belarusian soil.”

JURIST has previously covered the lack of free media in Belarus and the consequences of independent thought in the nation. Lukashenko intends to consider the final version of the legislation at a special commission with the participation of what he described as “reasonable opposition.” Lukashenko, who has been the nation’s only president since its founding in 1994, has previously taken a hard-line stance towards opposition.