Andrei Yahorau: The West should honestly and clearly present its position on Tonkacheva’s case

Separate appeals and statements won’t be able to influence the situation; but common efforts can.

Few days ago the Belarusan National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum issued an appeal to the international community on support of human rights activist Elena Tonkacheva. The addressees of the appeal are EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Head of EU Delegation to Belarus, Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the EU countries, Diplomatic missions of EU and the United States in the Republic of Belarus, UN Representation in Belarus, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, OSCE Secretary General.

Let us note that from the moment when the decision on cancellation of residence permit of the Elena Tonkacheva, the head of the Legal Transformation Center “Lawtrend” and the following decision to deport her from the country numerous appeals and statements were made. The document of the Belarusan National Platform is remarkable for the following criticism: “Recently, the issue of human rights and the existence of political prisoners in Belarus, for the reasons unknown to us, is not anymore a priority item on the agenda of the EU and the international community in its relations with the Republic of Belarus. We call on the EU delegation to the Republic of Belarus, the EU diplomatic missions and the US, the UN Office in Belarus, other international organizations and bodies to demonstrate the principles and insistence on democratic values, human rights and freedoms, to express their attitude about the decision taken by the representatives of the Belarusan authorities, to support Elena Tonkacheva and stop the expulsion of the human rights activist from Belarus”.

Andrei Yahorau, the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the Belarusan National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (BNP EaP CSF), comments upon the recently adopted statement to the EuroBelarus Information Service:

- We understand that in this case no kind of separate statements and separate appeals can influence the situation. Nevertheless, we assume that the international organizations that declare their concern for the human rights situation in Belarus have to honestly and clearly present its position on Elena Tonkacheva’s case. We can influence the situation only by common efforts. In the light of a new stage of Belarus-EU cooperation and collaboration we would like to see that in this development the EU doesn’t lose its adherence to the value basis of their policy, including human rights policy. I wish the West voiced its attitude towards this entire situation clearly and openly.

Besides, marked Andrei Yahorau, adherence to the European values presupposes that the EU has to make Belarusan authorities understand that actions of the official Minsk against the human rights defendant Elena Tonkacheva “will be taken into consideration when the decision about the renovation of dialog with Belarus will be made”.

According to Andrei Yahorau, the corresponding clause has to be added to “all the circumstances which impede the EU-Belarus dialog; to the circumstances that cannot be neglected”.