Antécédents de l'affaire: Elena Tonkacheva
Le 13 janvier 2015, le tribunal du district de Pervomayskiy à Minsk a confirmé la décision du Bureau de la migration et de la citoyenneté de la police du district de Pervomayskiy, annulant le permis de résidence de la défenseuse des droits humains Mme Elena Tonkacheva et lui ordonnant de quitter la Biélorussie pour trois ans.
Elena Tonkacheva est une éminente défenseuse des droits humains biélorusse; elle défend et promeut les droits humains dans le pays depuis 1996. Son organisation, le Centre for Legal Transformation, se compose d'experts juridiques et de militants qui œuvrent pour la protection des droits humains et l'éducation et qui effectue des analyses juridiques.
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- 17 Février 2016 : Human rights defender Elena Tonkacheva denied permission to return to Belarus
- 16 Janvier 2015 : Un tribunal confirme l'expulsion de la défenseuse des droits humains Mme Elena Tonkacheva
- 13 Novembre 2014 : Authorities cancel residence permit for human rights defender Ms Elena Tonkacheva as she faces expulsion
- 6 Novembre 2014 : Elena Tonkacheva ordered to leave the country in one month with prohibition to return for three years
On 15 February 2016, the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Republic of Belarus officially rejected the request submitted by human rights defender Ms Elena Tonkacheva for a reduction of the term of her ban from entering Belarus. Elena Tonkacheva has Russian citizenship but she has resided in Belarus for the past thirty years. In January 2015 she was forced to relocate to Vilnus, Lithuania, where she has continued her human rights work. On 15 January 2016, Elena Tonkacheva received a response from the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Belarus concerning her application for a reduction of the term of the ban prohibiting her from entering Belarus, which she had submitted on 6 January 2016. The request of the human rights defender was denied and she was warned that in case of her return to or stay in the territory of Belarus in violation of the prohibition during the established period of time, she will face criminal liability in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 371 of the Criminal Code. The penalty for violating the mentioned provision is up to three years' imprisonment. This was not the first attempt by the human rights defender to counter the decision to revoke her residence permit. The decision has now been appealed to all possible judicial instances and all available domestic remedies have been exhausted. On 5 November 2014, Elena Tonkacheva was ordered by the Pervomayskiy District Police department of Minsk to leave Belarus within one month and not return for three years, in view of the revocation of her residence permit in October 2014. The reason for the revocation was the fact that the human rights defender had violated public traffic regulations by exceeding established speed limits. The residence pemit of Elena Tonkacheva was valid until 2017.
Le 13 janvier 2015, le tribunal du district de Pervomayskiy à Minsk a confirmé la décision du Bureau de la migration et de la citoyenneté de la police du district de Pervomayskiy, annulant le permis de résidence de la défenseuse des droits humains Mme Elena Tonkacheva et lui ordonnant de quitter la Biélorussie pour trois ans.
Elena Tonkacheva est une citoyenne russe et réside en Biélorussie depuis près de 30 ans. Elle travaille pour la promotion et la défense des droits humains en Biélorussie depuis 1996. Son organisation, le Centre for Legal Transformation se compose d'experts juridiques et de militants qui œuvrent pour la protection des droits humains et l'éducation et qui effectue des analyses juridiques. Son dernier permis de résidence était valide jusqu'en 2017.
Le 5 novembre 2014, la police du district de Pervomayskiy a décidé d'annuler le permis de résidence d'Elena Tonkacheva et lui a ordonné de quitter la Biélorussie dans le mois, et ce, pour une période de trois ans. Selon les autorités, la défenseuse a violé le code de la route à plusieurs reprises en faisant des excès de vitesse. Ces infractions mineures ont été considérées comme une "menace à l'ordre public" et sont la raison officielle de l'annulation du permis de résidence d'Elena Tonkacheva.
Le 28 novembre 2014, Elena Tonkacheva a fait appel de la décision auprès du département de la police de Minsk. Cependant, le 12 décembre 2014, le département a rejeté son appel. Le 24 décembre, elle a fait appel de la décision de la police devant un tribunal. La première audience a eu lieu le 8 janvier 2015 devant le tribunal du district de Pervomayskiy. Deux témoins de la défense ont déclaré devant la cour qu'ils étaient responsables de certaines infractions du Code de la route, car ils ont conduit la voiture d'Elena Tonkacheva. La défense a aussi présenté une pétition qui rassemblait plus de 7000 signatures, demandant que la défenseuse ne soit pas expulsée du pays pour des infractions si mineures.
Le 13 janvier 2015, le juge a rejeté l'appel d'Elena Tonkacheva affirmant qu'elle avait commis au moins quatre infractions en conduisant, ainsi qu'une cinquième infraction en tant que piétonne en traversant la route en dehors d'un passage piéton. Selon la cour, cela représente une "menace à l'ordre public" et cela est considéré comme une raison légitime pour une expulsion de trois ans.
Elena Tonkacheva va faire appel devant le tribunal de Minsk.
Front Line Defenders est préoccupée par le verdict du tribunal du district de Pervomayskiy, considère que l'annulation du permis de résidence d'Elena Tonkacheva est sérieusement disproportionnée au regard des infractions du Code de la route qu'elle aurait commises et pense que l'annulation est certainement liée à son travail en faveur des droits humains. Front Line Defenders appelle les autorités de Biélorussie à annuler l'expulsion de la défenseuse des droits humains. Pour plus d'informations sur cette affaire, lire l'appel urgent du 3 novembre 2014.
On 30 October 2014, human rights defender Ms Elena Tonkacheva, the head of the Centre for Legal Transformation, received a notification from Pervomayskiy District Police department in Minsk stating that her residence permit in Belarus has been nullified by the authorities, despite the fact that she has lived in the country on a permanent basis for the last thirty years.
According to the notification, authorities have begun the process of her expulsion from Belarus.
On 23 September 2014 Elena Tonkacheva was notified by authorities that they had begun the process of nullifying her residence permit. According to the notification, the human rights defender recently violated public traffic regulations by exceeding the speed limit while driving her car, which was recorded on the traffic police's speed cameras. Though Elena Tonkacheva has already paid a fine for the traffic violation, this minor offence has been used as an official basis to begin the cancellation process of her residence permit in Belarus.
On 2 October 2014, the human rights defender provided a detailed explanation to the district police department in Minsk stating that she has been living in Belarus since the age of fifteen when her family moved there. Elena Tonkacheva does not have any residence registration in the Russian Federation, where she has official citizenship, and her daughter is a citizen of Belarus. Elena Tonkacheva refrained from applying for Belarusian citizenship previously due to personal reasons. Her current residence permit was valid until 2017.
Since this notification has been issued, the human rights defender must now obtain temporary registration in Belarus. The human rights defender has been officially invited to Pervomayskiy District Police office where, on 5 November 2014, authorities will have a meeting “to examine the question” of her compulsory expulsion.
On 5 November 2014 the Office for Migration and Citizenship of Pervomayskiy District Police Department in Minsk ordered human rights defender Ms Elena Tonkacheva to leave the country within one month.
She was also informed that she will be prohibited from visiting Belarus for the next three years. The human rights defender will appeal that decision in court.
Her most recent residence permit should have been valid until 2017.
On 30 October 2014 Elena Tonkacheva received a notification informing her that her residence permit was nullified by the authorities. According to the authorities, the human rights defender violated public traffic regulations on a number of occasions when she exceeded the speed limit while driving her car. These minor traffic offences were considered a “threat to public order” and became an official reason for Elena Tonkacheva's residence permit cancellation.
On 5 November 2014, the human rights defender was invited to attend a meeting in Pervomayskiy District Police Department in Minsk where the question of her expulsion from the country was examined. Elena Tonkacheva was allowed to present additional arguments to the authorities. During the meeting she presented a petition of more than 7,000 signatures against her expulsion from the country. Despite agreeing to accept the signatures, the authorities decided to expel her from Belarus.
Elena Tonkacheva will appeal the order to expel her from Belarus and the decision to cancel her residence permit. Her public traffic offences were minor and she has already paid the fines and the traffic police did not consider it necessary to cancel her driving licence.
