Harry Pahaniajla: Authorities are afraid of versions of notorious disappearances going public

A round table “Notorious cases. Why the executors, organizers and those who ordered political murders are at large?” took place in Minsk.

As a lawyer Harry Pahaniajla pointed out, “the authorities are, apparently, afraid to even suspend the investigation of the cases of the disappeared opposition politicians, since in this case they would have to present to the victim comprehensive documents as to the versions developed and the reasons the cases have been suspended”, BelaPAN reports.

According to Pahaniajla, a resolution on the suspension of the investigation of the cases “could be appealed against by the victims up to a trial, so the case materials would become public”.

The relatives of the ones, who dispersed, have been recognized as victims in the cases, the lawyer reminded. Although, the books have not been closed on the cases, “formally, of course, no investigative activities are being practically implemented today to actually investigate the cases”.

Pahaniajla believes that the cases “cannot be closed and archived to a shelf due to the expiration of the statute of limitation, since we are dealing with violent abduction of people, which was followed by their disappearances”.

“In this case either the guilty must be found, or the body or the people themselves be found. Neither of the tasks has been fulfilled by investigation agencies”, - he emphasized.

“Let us take, for example, Zavadski. It has been established, including by a court verdict, that six people participated in his abduction. Two have been sentenced, where are the other four? Then, it has been established that these people abducted Zavadski and held him for some time. What happened next? As to Zakharanka, Krasouski and Hanchar, investigators rotate on their cases, but no actual activities are being undertaken to solve the crimes and ascertain the guilty”, - Pahaniajla said.

We would remind that on 7 May 1999 under unclarified circumstances former Minister of Interior Affairs Jury Zakharanka disappeared in Minsk city center. On 16 September same year opposition politician Viktar Hanchar and entrepreneur Anatol Krasouski disappeared, and did journalist Dzmitry Zavadski, who once was Lukashenka’s personal cameraman, in summer 2000.