Andrej Yurau is free, but supposed to leave Belarus today

11.20. Russian HR defender Andrej Yurau is free, but he is supposed to leave Belarus today. He has received a document which prohibits him to enter Belarus for two years.

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10.45. It has become known that Yurau faces prohibition to enter Belarus for two years. The reason for this is "interference into internal affairs of Belarus". This case has been initiated by KGB. The Russian Embassy's representative has managed to obtain such information today, a human rights defender Alena Tankachova has said to Euroradio.

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The head of the Center for Legal Information Alena Tankachova has informed to Euroradio that the head of the International observing mission of the international committee for control of the situation with human rights in Belarus Andrej Yurau will be interrogated at 11. After this there will possibly be a court trial against the Russian HR defender, who is accused of "illegal crossing the border". 

Alena Tankachova: “After the interrogation, if they speak about an administrative offence, there should be a court trial in the Soviet district court. If there is something else, we will see how the situation will develop after the interrogation. He is accused of illegal crossing the border - he is allegedly in the list of some people who are forbidden to enter the territory of the Republic of Belarus”.

Alena Tankachova says that the Russian observer is most likely to be forcibly deported, or they will give him time to leave the country voluntarily.

At the same time, she has noted that there is no border between Russia and Belarus, therefore, it is quite difficult to cross it illegally. Moreover, the human rights defenders claim that they hear about the list of "banned" citizens of Russia for the first time.

Let us remind you that representatives of the citizenship and migration department of the Soviet district department of internal affairs came to the apartment where Andrej Yurau lived in Minsk on March 16. They asked him to show his documents, he obeyed. The passport was in order, but Andrej Yurau was informed that he was in the database of people who were forbidden to enter the territory of the Republic of Belarus since March 4. After this they delivered him to the Soviet district department of internal affairs, where the Russian HR defender spent a night.

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Euroradio's ONLINE, March 16

Andrej Yurau is the head of the International observing mission of the international committee for control of the situation with human rights in Belarus is in the Soviet district department of internal affairs of Minsk at the moment [March 16, 2011, 22.32 - Euroradio]. It is highly likely that he is being prepared for deportation from Belarus.

The mission adopted a special appeal, in which it recommended that the Belarusian authorities should invite OSCE experts to investigate the Dec. 19 events, on March 16. Representatives of the citizenship and migration department of the Soviet district department of internal affairs came to the apartment where Andrej Yurau lived in Minsk on that very day. They asked him to show his documents, he obeyed. The passport was in order, but Andrej Yurau was informed that he was in the database of people who were forbidden to enter the territory of the Republic of Belarus since March 4. After this they delivered him to the Soviet district department of internal affairs.

Jurau wrote an explanation note that he had no information about him being included in this database. The Chief Police Lieutenant – an employee of the Soviet district department of internal affairs of Minsk – watched the process of writing the note.

The human rights defender does not know the reasons why he might be an unwanted person in Belarus. According to him, he has never been involved in any illegal activities. However, he thinks that he might be deported upon the reason that his surname is in the “database of the banned”.

22:49 March 16. Connection with Andrej Yurau failed. His mobile number is unavailable.

23:00, March 16. Open sources in the Internet claim that Andrej Yurau faces criminal responsibility for illegal crossing of the Belarusian border. The human rights defender may face arrest for 3-6 months or imprisonment for up to 3 years under Part 2 Article 371 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus.

23:30, March 16. Yurau’s mobile is still unavailable. According to the latest information, all his personal belongings have been confiscated. He will spend the night in the Soviet district department of internal affairs.

23:40, March 16. According to non-confirmed information, Russian diplomats who work in Belarus joined clarification of circumstances of Andrej Yurau’s detention.

Photo by: Zmitser Lukashuk