British lawyers will chase Zaitsau in Italy

A number of British lawyers have submitted a request to the Italian Ministry of Justice regarding the business trip of the Belarusian KGB director to Italy. The request was submitted within the campaign Free Belarus Now.

In the request, it is said that Vadzim Zaitsau is included to the list of the persons who are not allowed to enter the European Union, for taking hostages and torturing opposition activists. Since Italy has signed the UN Convention against torture, the lawyers demand an explanation to the business trip of the head of the Belarusian KGB.

According to numerous witnesses, Vadzim Zaitsau was the head of the Belarusian KGB at the time when political prisoners were tortured after the mass detentions during the presidential election of 19 December 2010. During an interrogation, Zaitsau personally threatened presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov to murder his wife and son.

According to the information uploaded last week to the website of the National Center of Legal Information, the Belarusian government had sent KGB head Vadzim Saitsau on a business trip to Italy.

Decree #84 on the business trip of Vadzim Zaitsau to Rome was signed by the Belarusian prime-minister on 28 February. The document was included to the National register of legal acts on 2 March.

The Center of information and public relations of the KGB refuses to give any comments and just says that “the nature of the trip is a business matter”.

Vadzim Zaitsau is included to the list of persons who are not allowed to enter the European Union because of his involvement in the violations of the election standards in Belarus. Nevertheless, this is the second time in 2012 when a “banned” Belarusian authority visits the European Union. From 17 till 20 January 2012, Interior Minister Anatol Kuliashou was on a business trip to France. The French visa was given to the Belarusian Interior Minister on a request from the Interpol. According to the French Embassy in Minsk, the EU visa sanctions are not valid when authorities visit international organizations’ events.