Thus, the Ministry of Interior Affairs didn’t use the possibility of acknowledge the absurdity of the situation related to the deportation of the Belarusan human rights fighter.

The process of expulsion of Elena Tonkacheva, the Chair of the Board of the Legal Transformation Center (Lawtrend) is taking a bad turn. How it is happening Elena Tonkacheva told in the exclusive interview to the EuroBelarus Information Service:

— December 17, I was invited to the Migration and Citizenship Department in the Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Council to get acquainted with the case and to have the opportunity to submit the full text of the appeal. However, when I came to the police I was notified that the decision to uphold the decision of the Pershamaiski Department of Internal Affairs was made as early as on December 12. Let me recall that it comprised the decision about my deportation from Belarus and ban on entering the country for three years, i.e. none of the arguments listed in the appeal regarding disproportionality of the decision made, incorrect evaluation of the factual circumstances, and so one were ignored.

— What will you do now?

— According to the law, I have a right to appeal this decision in court. I am going to do that before the end of the year and for the time the court is considering it and before it takes effect Belarusan authorities are to prolong the time of my legal stay in Belarus.

— Thus, you don’t have to leave Belarus right away?

— No, but at the moment I am afraid of leaving Belarus even if only to start drawing up documents in Russia. The reason for that is simple – I have no guarantees that I will be able to come back if I leave Belarus. Basically, for now the decision about my deportation hasn’t been reconsidered within the Ministry of Interior Affairs. It happened, though Begun (Aliaksei Biahun, the head of the Department of Migration and Citizenship in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. — EuroBelarus Information Service) claimed that the Ministry came to know a lot of new circumstances about my activity in Belarus, and a lot of NGOs expressed their support. It means that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had a chance to step out of this absurd situation with dignity. However, the situation demonstrates that on the one hand, the decision about my deportation is political; on the other hand, it demonstrates that there was neither enough will nor common sense within the frames of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to regulate this question.

EuroBelarus Information Service reference:

Elena Tonkacheva is a Russian citizen, but has been living in Belarus for about 30 years, has property, family, and permanent job here. For 20 years she and her organization have been carrying out human rights activities as well as judicial and expert support for Belarusan NGOs. On November 5 the Department of Internal Affairs of Pershamaiski district in Minsk made a decision to deport Elena Tonkacheva within a month and deprive her of the right to enter Belarus for three years. The decision was based on the minor excess of speed limits by Elena Tonkacheva while driving her car.