Photo by EuroBelarus.Info

According to the human rights defendant, the consideration of the case about her deportation from Belarus made her forget her juridical education and impartiality.

Let us recall that on November 5 Belarusan authorities decided to deport Elena Tonkacheva, human rights defender, the Chair of the Board of the Legal Transformation Center (Lawtrend). She is to leave Belarus within a month and is deprived of the right of entry for three years. Administrative offences in the form of minor speedings while driving registered by cameras pose threat to public order in Belarus.

“I advice to visit the Department of the Pieršamajski Regional Office of Internal Affairs of Minsk everyone who didn’t come to be there,” said Elena Tonkacheva to the journalists on November 6. “I have no idea why was the “Stalin’s line” memorial constructed; the Pieršamajski Regional Office of Internal Affairs of Minsk could quite serve as its constitution.”

“Imagine a building that used to be a secondary school enclosed with huge iron fence with iron barbed wire on the top of it in downtown Minsk. What is the state body that is involved in protection of public order afraid of? I don’t know. Is it afraid of seven thousand signatures that were collected in my support? They just weren’t counted; no one said a word about them when my case was considered. Moreover, according to the officials, they were collected unduly.”

Elena Tonkacheva believes that everything that was happening on November 5 was “a normally planned circus.”

“Nothing prevented them from considering the earlier decided question at 12 a.m. It is obvious that they had this decision. Everything that was happening between 12 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. was a circus and entertainment on the one hand, and on the other it was a test, calm, and cynical view on what is about to take place.”

“People in uniform, with officer’s epaulettes, who have no idea about esprit de corps, who are ready to chase after Vinahradau and deport Tonkacheva, who are ready to give false evidence about Ploshcha 2010 (Square 2010) case.”

Elena Tonkacheva assumes that the Pieršamajski Regional Office of Internal Affairs of Minsk district is a “model of a country where people with epaulettes have no idea about esprit de corps, about duty, about defence of homeland, about who citizens are and what are their rights.”

“Everything that concerns my juridical education and impartiality ended yesterday. When I was invited for the hearing, three people with officer’s epaulets said to me that everything is fine, everything is all right, that they had never seen that much signatures is someone’s support, that my offences are insignificant. After that the head of this model of a country was talking with me for half an hour to stand up and announce the decision: a three-year deprivation of the right of entry.”

“The model turned to be perfect. There is no sense to build new museums; we can go to Pieršamajski Police Station for an excursion. And people with epaulets are very petty people, they are retouched so well so one cannot immediately recognise their disgusting nature.”

Elena Tonkacheva doesn’t want to discuss plans yet.

“Before yesterday I didn’t plan to go anywhere, I didn’t make any plans. I was saying to everybody that I am not going anywhere. Yesterday I was very tired and didn’t have time to think about it. I will think about it not tomorrow, but the day after tomorrow.”

“What will I do? I will appeal against the decision, but I can no longer treat it seriously; it will be a ritual action.”

Elana Tonkacheva is convinced that the Legal Transformation Center (Lawtrend) will continue its work even without her presence in Belarus. Moreover, her deportation has even upgraded the authority of the organization.

“When Bialiatski was in prison, I was ashamed. It seems to me that our organization is often being reproached for being too expert, too analytical and for trying to avoid too harsh estimates. I think we are almost rehabilitated; we got certain estimate of our work.”