Russian human rights activist to be deported from Belarus
- 17.03.2011, 10:03
The head of the International observation mission on Human Rights in the Republic of Belarus Andrey Yurov has been detained.
The human rights centre “Vyasna” was informed about that by a representative of the mission Ivan Kandratsenka.
As of the situation at 11 p.m. March 16, he stayed in the police department of Savetski district of Minsk, he threatened with deportation.
On March 16 at 9.05 p.m. policemen came to the flat rented by members of the mission. Policemen demanded to show IDs, saying that the flat is rented by foreign citizens. Yurov met the policemen. After 15 minutes of conversation he was taken to the police department. Yurov was informed that he had been put on the list of persons banned entry to Belarus.
Ivan Kandratsenka says that members of the mission will bring these events to the knowledge of the Russian Embassy and will keep in contact with Belarusian human rights watchdogs.
On March 9 a member of the mission, a citizen of Ukraine Maxim Kitsuk was denied entry to the country in the train Kyiv-Minsk. Border guards stated that he had been blacklisted and could not enter Belarus.
The mission is to announce its further actions after the situation with Yurov becomes clear. The mission finds his possible deportation illegal, Kandratsenka said.
The International Observation Mission was established on December 27, 2010 in connection with the situation in Belarus after the presidential election. It was founded by representatives of the NGOs of the OSCE countries and international networks and organisations. It acts on behalf of the Committee on International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus, which unites representatives of human rights organisations of the OSCE region and non-governmental organizations’ coalition. Its aim was to observe actions of the Belarusian authorities when they violate human rights, and possible actions of radical groups of the population, which could endanger observation of human rights. The mission is engaged in monitoring and control over the observation of fundamental human rights, conditions of human rights defenders and human rights organizations in the country. In order to guarantee neutrality in evaluation of the situation, none of the Belarusian organisations had been invited to become the mission’s member.
Andrei Yurov is also Honorary President of the International Youth Human Rights Movement, director of Strategic Programs of the Moscow Helsinki Group on education and network development and an expert for the Council of Europe.