Journalist Zmitser Zavadski abducted in Belarus 10 years ago (Photo, video)

A lot of facts proving activity of “death squads”, which abducts and kills uncomfortable people in Belarus, have been gathered during these years.

On July 7, 2000, ORT cameraman Zmitser Zavadski went missing under mysterious circumstances on his way to Minsk-2 airport. Since that time nothing is known about the journalist.

Officially, Zmitser Zavadski’s abduction is considered detected. Officers of Almaz special squad of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Valery Ihnatovich and Maksim Malik (got life sentence), former military student Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Alyaksei Huz (got 25 years of imprisonment), and Syarhei Savushkin (was in prison for three times before, sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment) were found guilty with the crime.

It is worth noting the sentences were delivered in closed regime. No proves of their implication in kidnapping of Zmitser Zavadski were presented to the public. None of them has confessed his guilt. The investigatory agencies didn’t find a body of the disappeared journalist.

Accusation over Zavadski’s case and court proceeding were fabricated to smother up fuss about the kidnapping. Uncomfortable executors, who had committed other crimes on the order of the authorities before but had no relation to Zmitser Zavadski’s disappearance, were sent to prison.

Beside Zmitser Zavadski, first Vice Speaker of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus of the 13th convocation, the chairman of the Central Election Commission Viktar Hanchar, a businessman and public leader Anatol Krasouski, the former head of the Interior Ministry and then an oppositional politician Yuri Zakharanka went missing in 1999-2000.

A demand to reveal the truth about Zmitser Zavadski’s disappearance is contained in resolutions of UN Commission on Human Rights, Parliamentary Assembles of the Council of Europe and the OSCE.

Minister of internal affairs Uladzimir Navumau, head of the presidential administration Viktar Sheiman, former head of the Ministry of Internal Affaires Yury Sivakou and commander of a special police squad Dzmitry Paulichenka are forbidden entry to the US and the EU countries as they are suspected in involvement in disappearance of Zmitser Zavadski as well as in kidnapping of opposition leaders Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka and Anatol Krasouski.

Journalistic investigation

The Belarusian and Russian media offer different versions of Zmitser Zavadski’s disappearance. In 2001, journalist Pavel Sheremet (Sharamet) said the chiefs of the Belarusian secrete services had been interested in removing Zavadski, because he had seen their activity in Chechnya.

Investigators’ confession

The investigation carried out by a joint investigative group of the KGB and Ministry of Internal Affairs showed that high-ranking officers of the law-enforcement agencies, namely former interior minister Yury Sivakou, then interior minister Uladzimir Navumau, commander of a rapid response squad Dzmitry Paulichenka and state security secretary Viktar Sheiman were involved in abductions and killings of the oppositionists.

Former head of the Main Criminal Militia Department of the Minister of Internal Affairs General Mikalai Lapatsik told in his report to the interior minister details of kidnapping of Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski, and former interior minister Yury Zakharanka, disappeared some months before:

“The catch and further elimination of Zakharanka was carried out by a group of soldiers led by Paulichenka (the commander of military unit 3214). A similar operation was carried out by Paulichenka and his group on 16.09.1999 to catch and kill Hanchar and Krasouski. The planned place of burial is a special plot on Paunochnya Cemetery.”

As former chief of the Minsk detention facility #1 Aleh Alkaeu stated, oppositionists Hanchar, Krasouski, and Zakharanka were killed from a special execution pistol that was given on an order of former minister of internal affairs Yury Sivakou.

General Lapatsik’s report

The official execution pistol, a supposed instrument for killing the oppositionists

On June 11, 2001, Dzmitry Petrushkevich, an officer of the investigative group of the prosecutor’s office of Belarus, revealed new information about investigation of high-profiled cases of disappearance of well-known people in Belarus. According to Petrushkevich and former officer of a prosecutor’s office Aleh Sluchak, a special group was formed on an order of the Belarusian authorities to destroy uncomfortable people.

After an investigative group, consisted of officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the KGB and prosecutor agencies, had caught the traces of kidnappers and arrested special rapid response squad commander Dzmitry Paulichenka, the Prosecutor General and the KGB Head were ousted. Paulichenka was released by order of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

International investigation

The international community states the fate of the missing Belarusian oppositionists should be cleared up. The UN Human Rights Committee, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE demand to reveal the truth about these disappearances.

Christos Pourgourides, a PACE special rapporteur, conducted an independent investigation in connection with the disappearance of Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski, and Zmitser Zavadski and said in his report “Disappeared persons in Belarus” that Belarusian high-ranking officials were involved in the enforced disappearances.

A number of high ranking Belarusian officials, namely former interior minster Uladzimir Navumau, former secretary of the Security Council Viktar Sheiman, former interior minister Yury Sivakou, and former commander of the special rapid response unit Dzmitry Paulichenka were banned entry to the EU countries and the United States because they are suspected of involvement in kidnapping the oppositionists.

Investigation by Russian NTV channel

On July 4, Russian NTV channel told the truth about political disappearances and killings of oppositionists in Belarus.

The programme “Chrezvychainoye Proisshestviye” (Emergency Event) on NTV channel showed the film “Godbatka” telling about the mysterious death of vice speaker of the Supreme Council of Belarus Henadz Karpenka, abductions and killings of former interior minister Yury Zakharanka, vice speaker of the Supreme Council, former head of the Central Election Commission Viktar Hanchar, journalist Zmitser Zavadski, businessman and public figure Anatol Krasouski. The film shows archive interviews with the abducted oppositionists and their relatives and says directly about involvement of the Belarusian authorities in elimination of their political opponents.