02.09.2009 In coming months authorities to answer for Krasouski’s disappearance

The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances has offered Belarus a deadline for preparing an answer to the suit of the family of disappeared Anatol Krasouski.

The suit was filed to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances on November 16, 2008, and the date for answer was initially set for May 16, 2009. However, the mission of Belarus to the UN demanded to offer a copy of the suit and additional documents in Russian (the original is in English), and the term was cancelled, Radio Svaboda informs.

01.09.2009 Prosecutor general gives runaround to address of missing politicians’ relatives

On 17 August Zinaida Hanchar (wife of oppositional politician and vice-speaker Viktar Hanchar, kidnapped in September 1999), Volha Zavadskaya (mother of kidnapped cameraman of ORT TV channel Dzmitry Zavadski) and Uliana Zakharanka (mother of kidnapped ex-minister of interior Yury Zakharanka) addressed the Prosecutor General’s office with the demand that by 16 September the Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich reported to the public about the results of the investigation into the disappearances.

19.08.2009 Estonian MP: European officials shouldn’t forget about kidnappings in Belarus

Silver Meikar, an Estonian MP representing the Reform Party, head of the Association in Defence of Democratic Development of Belarus, says one should adhere to principles in a dialogue with Lukashenka.

Silver Meikar wrote about this in his article on website Delfi.

As the Estonian MP wrote, Europe, that used to be an opponent of the Europe’s last dictator for a long time, has convinced in practice that isolation of the Belarusian regime has no prospects. Lukashenka was able to hold his power with Russia’s help. Then the EU chose another way – a dialogue, the way of re-education of the dictator.

17.08.2009 Relatives of missing Belarusians demand report from Prosecutor General

During a special press-conference on 17 August, the wife of Viktar Hanchar together with the mother of Dzmitry Zavadski declared that the relatives of the missing persons demand an international investigation of the ‘disappearances.’ According to Zinaida Hanchar, they have sent 6 addresses to Belarusian Prosecutor General Ryhor Vasilevich, PACE, and a number of world top-leaders – Dmitry Medvedev, Barack Obama, Angela Merkel. ‘Belarusian officials have mentioned either the Russian or the German clue, and even the commercial character of the crimes. However, it is absolutely obvious that all this is nothing but an effort to divert attention from the actual reasons for the kidnapping of the famous Belarusians,’ says the address.

09.07.2009 Detention on Lithuanian border

After participation in a rally dedicated to memory of abducted cameraman Zmitser Zavadski the activist of the Young Democrats Raman Bahdanovich encountered problems at the Belarusian border. He was detained by Belarusian border guards.

08.07.2009 Detentions in Brest: police violate ruling of deputy minister of information

The detained participants of a peaceful picket in the memory of the missing cameraman Zmitser Zavadski spent some hours at the police department where printed materials were seized.

07.07.2009 Angela Merkel is required to answer Lukashenka’s statements about abducted opposition activists

The leader of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka has addressed the authorities of Germany with a request to help in investigating the abductions of oppositional leaders in Belarus.

18.06.2009 Zinaida Hanchar persistent about investigation

Zinaida Hanchar, widow of the disappeared politician Viktar Hanchar, has addressed Mrs. Giovanna Zucchelli, secretary of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, with a letter demanding to oblige the Belarusian authorities to provide comments on the information stated by President Lukashenka during his recent interview with a number of Russian mass media. In her letter, Mrs. Hanchar says that ‘the recent communication by the Belarusian government of 3 February 2009 states that the investigation of the disappearance of Mr. Hanchar has been extended till 24 March 2009 and that so far the prosecutor does not have any new information on the matter.’ However, in his interview with the Zavtra Russian newspaper of 10 June 2009, President Lukashenka named a number of reasons for the murder of the persons, who are still considered missing.

15.05.2009 Prosecutor’s office refuses to inform Zinaida Hanchar on investigation of kidnap of her husband

Zinaida Hanchar, whose husband, opposition politician Viktar Hanchar was kidnapped in September 1999, has been trying to receive information from the prosecutor’s office about preliminary results of the investigation of the case of disappearance of her husband. The prosecutor’s office ignores all requests by her.

09.05.2009 Police beat up participants of 7 May action

Participants of the rally on 7 May were beaten even for a denial to be fingerprinted, though formally this procedure is voluntary.

07.05.2009 Action in the memory of Yury Zakharanka ends with mass detentions

On 7 May at 6 p.m. several hundred people came to an action of commemoration of the ex-minister of interior Yury Zakharanka who has been missing for ten years already. The people were holding the photos of Zakharanka and the photos of the political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich, Uladzimir Asipenka and Yury Liavonau.

07.05.2009 Homel: police warn ‘For Freedom’ coordinator Uladzimir Katsora

On 6 May the police reminded Uladzimir Katsora about administrative responsibility for violation of the law On mass actions that could take place during commemoration of Yury Zakharanka on the tenth anniversary of disappearance.

07.05.2009 7 May: ten years since the kidnapping of Yury Zakharanka

General Yury Zakharanka disappeared on 7 May 1999. Witnesses of the kidnapping, found not by investigative agencies but by a public commission on search for the missing general, say Zakharanka was forcefully taken away by some men.

06.05.2009 Brest city executive committee banned the picket dedicated to the tenth anniversary of disappearance of Yury Zakharanka

Brest city executive committee did not grant the application for the picket, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of disappearance of the former minister of interior Yury Zakharanka. The politician was kidnapped on 7 May 1999 and has been missing since then.

06.02.2009 Uliana ZAKHARANKA: ‘I think that I’m living my last days…’

On 6 January Uliana Zakharanka, mother of the ex-minister of interior Yury Zakharanka, missing since 1997, turned 85 years old. Narodnaya Volia took an interview with her.