CIS NGOS ADDRESS ALEXANDER LUKASHENKA ABOUT MISSING OPPOSITION POLITICIANSHe

On 17 December Zinaida Ganchar, wife of the missing acting speaker of the 13th Supreme Soviet, filed an appeal of non-governmental organizations of CIS countries to the office of President Lukashenka.
Proposed by the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, the appeal was adopted by members of CIS NGOs Working Group for Conflict Prevention and Resolution at the meeting, which took place on 14-15 December in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan).
The meeting participants express their concern about “the facts of forced kidnappings of well-known political and public figures in Belarus”. The signatories call on President Lukashenka to “investigate the circumstances of disappearance of Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Ganchar, Anatol Krasowki, Dzmitry Zavadski, involving international experts, and to inform the public about the investigation results”. The appeal was signed by more than 20 heads and representatives of non-governmental organizations, who participated in Bishkek Working Group meeting. According to Palina Stepanenka, activist of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, the meeting participants were very sympathetic to the fate of the missing Belarusian citizens and adopted the appeal to Lukashenka unanimously.
Zinaida Ganchar told BelaPAN reporter, she would file similar appeals to the president’s office also in the future. She says, she will do everything possible to find out the truth of what has happened to her husband and other Belarusian political and public figures. “I do not exclude the possibility that the authorities will react only formally, -- says Ganchar, -- nevertheless, I want to hope for the better. We see the public attention is focused on the problem, and we, relatives of the disappeared, will continue to work in this field”. Ganchar said, several days ago she received a reply from head of the parliament commission on human rights, ethnic relations, and mass media Valery Lipkin on her appeal. She addressed him in connection with creation of Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly ad hoc committee for investigation of disappearances, headed by Russian deputy and human rights activist Siarhei Kovalov. According to Zinaida Ganchar, Lipkin refers to the official information of Prosecutor General Viktar Sheiman, published on 26 November in “Narodnaya Volya”. “The commission does not have any other information. In case head of ad hoc committee Kovalov addresses us, we are going to render him assistance in solving the issue he raises in the frames of our competence”, -- replied Valery Lipkin.