Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus
to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus
to Ireland with concurrent accreditation
Mr. Sergei Aleinik
6 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL
3 November 2014
APPEAL
Dear Mr. Aleinik,
Index on Censorship isĀ alarmed by the news that a well-knownĀ human rights defender, Elena Tonkacheva, has had her permit to reside in Belarus canceled andĀ may be deported from the country.
Elena Tonkacheva, Chairperson of the Board of the Legal Transformation Center, although beingĀ a citizen of the Russian Federation has permanently resided in Belarus since 1985, and for yearsĀ has been engaged in educational, analytical and research work in the field of human rights. MsĀ Tonkacheva is a highly qualified expert in law and human rights; the organisation headed by her isĀ one of the leading human rights NGOs in Belarus.
On 30 October 2014, Ms Tonkacheva was notified about the cancelation of her residence permitĀ and on 5 November 2014 a decision will be made as to whether she is to be deported fromĀ Belarus. The formal reason for that are administrative breaches (insignificantly exceeding speedĀ limit when driving).
However, the disproportionate measures used by the Belarusian authorities in this case giveĀ grounds to believe that these minor breaches are used solely as a pretext to punish MsĀ Tonkacheva for her principled position and long-term human rights work and either to stop orĀ create considerable obstacles in her human rights activities.
In this connection, we appeal to the Belarusian authorities to:
ā Repeal the decision to cancel Ms Tonkacheva’s residence permit and not to deport herĀ from Belarus;
ā Take effective measures to protect human rights defenders and provide them with aĀ possibility to carry out their human rights activities without any obstacles, as stipulated inĀ the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs ofĀ Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and FundamentalĀ Freedoms from 9 December 1998;
ā Be guided by the recommendation of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of humanĀ rights in Belarus to “recognize the important role of human rights defenders, whether Ā individuals or members of civil society organizations, and guarantee the independence ofĀ civil society organizations and human rights defenders, enabling them to operate without
the fear of reprisal.”1
Sincerely,
Index on Censorship
1 A/69/307 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
CC.
President of the Republic of Belarus
Aliaksandr Lukashenka
Belarus, 220016, Minsk, K.Marks Str., 38
Fax + 375 17 226 06 10
E-mail: [email protected]
Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus
Ihar Shunevich
Belarus, 220030, Minsk, Gorodskoy Val Str., 4
Fax + 375-17-218-76-02
E-mail: [email protected]
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs
Main Internal Affairs Directorate of Minsk Municipal Executive Committee
Belarus, Minsk, Nezavisimost Ave, 48Š
Fax +375-17 331-81-6
E-mail: [email protected]
Department of Citizenship and Migration
Pervomajski District Office of Internal Affairs of Minsk
Belarus, Minsk, Belinski Str., 10
Fax+375-17-280-01-62
