Torture no obstacle to visiting Rome?

A visit of the Belarusian KGB chief to Italy is wrapped in obscurity.

Last week, Belarusian KGB chief Vadzim Zaitsau was sent on a work trip to Italy by the Belarusian authorities. This information can be found on the website of the National Centre of Legal Information.

Order No. 84 on sending Zaitsau on a work trip to Rome was signed the Belarusian PM on February 28. The document was put on the National Register of Legal Acts on March 2.

The KGB department for information and public relations refused to give more details to TUT.by noting “details about the event are the inside information”.

The KGB refused to say the date of the visit.

Vadzim Zaitsau is on the list of Belarusian officials banned from entering the EU over election standards violations in Belarus. It is not the first time, when blacklisted Belarusian officials have visited the EU this year. Minister of internal affairs Anatolly Kulyashou paid a visit to France on January 17-20. The minister obtained a French visa on the request of Interpol. The Embassy of France said the EU visa ban does not work if officials visit events organized by international organizations.

There have been numerous reports that the Belarusian KGB headed by Vadzim Zaitsau totured political prisoners arrested after the presidential election on December 19. 2010. Zaitsau threatened presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov at an interrogation to kill his wife and son.