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Belarusian court backs police’s decision to expel human rights activist from country

The decision to order Yelena Tonkacheva to leave Belarus within 30 days and forbid her to visit the country again during the next three years is connected with her violation of traffic laws (speeding)

© Viktor Drachev/TASS

MINSK, January 13. /TASS/. Belarus’ court on Tuesday refused to settle a claim of human rights activist Yelena Tonkacheva, who has Russian citizenship, for police’s decision to expel her from the country.

The citizenship and migration authorities in Minsk on November 5, 2014 ordered Tonkacheva to leave Belarus within 30 days and forbade her to visit the country again during the next three years.

The violation of traffic laws (speeding) gives cause for such decision. In late November Tonkacheva sent a petition to the Minsk city internal affairs department to contest the ruling, but the appeal was turned down, and she went to court.

Earlier, Tonkacheva said she exercised her right to appeal to the Minsk city court.

Tonkacheva is head of the Law Information Center and has Russian citizenship. She lives in Belarus for more than 30 years.

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