In May, 2012 «Law on State Security services» amendments are to put into practice. According to them, the existence of the list of oppositionists, journalists and human rights defenders banned from leaving the Republic of Belarus will be warranted by law.
Deputy Head of Viasna human rights centre Valiantsin Stefanovich, who has been recently restricted to travel abroad, said in the interview to web site spring96.org that it is difficult to project if the list will be expanded. «The situation in the country is very unstable in connection with both the diplomatic row and the crisis in EU-Belarus relations,» he explained.
The blacklisted have had no difficulty departing from Moscow, Valiantsin Stefanovich mentioned. If it happens, human rights defenders will challenge decisions in the neighbouring country. «We have agreements with our colleagues – Russian defenders and lawyers. If we lose in all judicial instances in Russia, we will petition the European Court. Russia is a member of the Council of Europe. It ratified the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and recognizes the competence of the Strasbourg Court,» he said.
According to Valentin Gefter, a member of the Presidential Public Council, the situation about the Belarusian black list has brought to the Russian President’s notice. Russian human rights commissioner Vladimir Lukin repeatedly raised the point and promised that Russia would not restrict Belarusians crossing its borderline.
As state-owned news agency Belta reported before, there is no opportunity of leaving for other countries from the territory of Russia for persons who are travel banned in Belarus. «Border services of our states fulfil all the tasks provided by Belarusian and Russian interstate and interservice agreements », head of the Russian FSB (Federal Security Service) Border Service general Vladimir Pronichev said. If border services are charged with a mission to detain a person it will be completed in the territory of both Belarus and Russia, he added.
Belsat
