The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has warned France against deporting a Belarusian oppositionist to his home country, for fear of bad treatment in Belarus.
It has been stated in the communiqué of the Court quoted by RIA Novosti. A Belarusian family with three children lives in France secretly. The court calls the parents by their initials, Y.P. and L.P.
According to the court, the housefather was detained and beaten up by Belarusian law-enforcing agencies back in 1999 for his activities in the oppositional Belarusian Popular Front. In the same year he was detained and beaten up for participation in Freedom March in Minsk.
In 2002, as stated by the complainant, he was beaten up after he became the chairman of Mahilyou Central Committee of an oppositional party. From 2002 to 2004 Y.P. unsuccessfully asked for political asylum in Germany and Norway, until he was beaten up till he fell unconscious by policemen. His son was also a party activist and was arrested many times.
In 2005 the family moved to Strasbourg and claimed political asylum. However the authorities denied it. In 2006 the Belarusians filed a suit to Strasbourg Court, stating that deportation to their home country constitutes a danger to them. After that the refugees went to Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and they were sent to France then, and in 2007 they were deported again.
In 2008, after the family returned to France, the refugees were to be deported again. Then they applied to the Strasbourg Court in order to suspend the judgment. The court allowed their appeak, and two years later the verdict was delivered.
Source: Charter'97 :: News from Belarus
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