Siarhei Drazdouski: The authorities don’t like well-reasoned stance of human rights fighters

Principled and well-reasoned stance of the human rights defendant Elena Tonkacheva could serve as a ground for her deportation from Belarus.

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.

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.

Siarhei Drazdouski, the coordinator of the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in the interview with “EuroBelarus” Information Service marks that Tonkacheva’s work was related to the organization he is working in.

“We got acquainted because our organization “the Republican Association of Persons in Wheelchairs” got professional and lawful support from Elena Tonkacheva’s organization, - he explained. – Later on more productive cooperation developed, including educational direction and organization of certain human rights character in the Office’s work”.

Drazdouski assumes that the appearance of the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is to large degree Tonkacheva’s merit, as the idea and strategy of the organization were discussed with her. “We can talk not only about merit, but about a full participation in the organization’s work. This is real cooperation, and, basically, work together”, - he said.

According to Drazdouski, Tonkacheva’s deportation will be “noticeable for the organization’s work”. “When they say there are no irreplaceable people, this saying is commonplace. But we certainly lose a professional, lawyer, a person with whom we can discuss and project the future we would like to live in. Besides, she is just a person it is pleasant to work with”, - he emphasized.

Drazdouski notes that “Tonkacheva won’t disappear anywhere, she will be available via e-mail and so on, but nothing can substitute live communication”. “Her absence might directly and indirectly affect the work of the organization. However, it is rather a blow for all people who are working in the human rights organization. It is a clear message to everyone that excess of speed for 12 km an hour might serve as a reason for shutting the human rights defender up”, - he said.

Drazdouski assumes that “we need to influence the decision of the authorities, even though we have few opportunities for that”. “Sometimes actions that appear to be thoughtless turned out to be very important. In the long run, people who make decisions should have at least a little morality we appeal to when we point at the violation of rights, norms of human communication, and the laws of our life organization. We have to do everything we can and hope for the better”, - he emphasized.

It is absolutely clear, Drazdouski assumes, that Tonkacheva “had a professional and principal stance in human rights activity”. “She used every possibility to firmly stay for the human rights principles at all levels, which the authorities didn’t like very much. It seems that they don’t want to have a person who is capable of having a well-reasoned argument, to have a well-educated person able to stand for his opinion. Thus, they might have decided not to strain themselves, but merely expel Tonkacheva from the public space”, - Drazdouski supposes.