Le Monde: The journalist’s death sends Belarus back to the gloomy epoch of disappearances in 1999-2000

After the death of the journalist Aleh Byabenin the situation in Belarus continues to worsen, the French newspaper writes.

“The journalist’s death sends Belarus back to the gloomy epoch of disappearances in 1999-2000, when the following people disappeared: Vice Speaker of the Parliament Henadz Karpenka, Interior Minister Yury Zaharanka, an oppositionist Viktar Hanchar, a businessman Anatol Krasousky and the operator of the Russian TV Dmitry Zavadsky. Neither of these cases has been investigated”, “Le Monde” reports.

Debates around Aleh Byabenin’s death are developing at the background of the unity of the opposition on the threshold of presidential election, the correspondent Marie Jego continues. Lukashenka, heading the country from 1994 is intended to struggle for the forth term, “but for this time “batka” lacks an essential trump card – Russia’s support, his main trade and strategy partner”, - Marie Jego underlines.

“Two Slavic neighbors are at daggers drawn with each other, between them- the war: gas war, milk war, verbal and TV war. Things got out of kilter after Kremlin decided to put an end to favorable tariffs on Russian oil and gas for Minsk, - “Le Monde” reports.

Hurt by such a hit below the belt, Belarusian governor refused to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. He even threatened to “organize a new Chechnya”, if Kremlin will drive him into a corner. That is why it is not surprising, that Moscow rejects him”.

The publication reminds that this summer a TV channel NTV organized a campaign on compromising Lukashenka, “worthy of “agitprop” of 1920-th years”. “For the first time for the eleven years one talked about the disappearances of Belarusian oppositionists and journalists, who till now have not been interesting to anybody in Russia “, - the newspaper writes, quoting the words of a radio presenter of “Radio Svoboda” Anna Kachkaeva.