Oppositionists’ abductions and assassinations in Belarus discussed in Geneva

Widow of a businessman and public leader abducted in Belarus, Iryna Krasouskaya, has taken part in an international conference on forcible abductions.

The International Conference against Enforced Disappearances with the theme “Linking Our Solidarity; Strengthen Our Unity; Renew Our Commitment Towards the Ratification of the International Treaty Against Enforced Disappearances.” took place in Geneva on November 7-9, 2011. The president of the Belarusian foundation “We Remember” Iryna Krasouskaya has taken an active part in it.

The conference was organized by the International Coalition against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), which had been founded by families of abducted people and non-governmental organisations in 2007 in order to carry out a campaign at national, regional and international levels aimed at attracting as many states as possible to signing and ratification of the UN Convention for defense of all persons against forcible disappearances, and at the Convention’s coming into force. The Convention was adopted by the UN session in Geneva on December 20, 2006. After it was ratified by 20 states the Convention came into force on December 23, 2010. At the moment the Convention has been signed by 90 states and ratified by 30 states. Belarus and Russia have not signed the Convention.

The conference has given a possibility to discuss local situations with forcible abductions and update information on holding campaigns aimed at signing the UN International Convention for defense of all persons from enforced disappearances. Another aim of the conference was discussing of the global progress in the enforced disappearances’’ sphere and drafting a program for the next few years for lobbying the ratification of the convention and organizing support to the families of the abducted.

In her speech the president of “We Remember” foundation Iryna Krasouskaya told about the situation in Belarus and about disappearances of public leaders of Belarus in 1999-2000; about actions of the authorities, which obstruct justice and hide the truth about participation of the regime and highest officials in this crime; about considerable worsening of the situation with human rights lately: about crack down on the demonstration in December 2010, arrest of its participants and imprisonment of presidential candidates A. Sannikov, M. Statkevich, tortures against Z. Dashkevich, Z. Bandarenka and other political prisoners; about arrest of Ales Byalyatski, about adoption of the new anti-democratic laws and other crimes of the current regime.