Authorities don’t investigate cases of missing people: proofs submitted to UN (Video, photo)

19.09.2008, 16:27

Famous human rights activist Aleh Vouchak submitted materials to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, proving the Belarusian authorities refuse to give to the public true information about investigation of high-profiled cases of disappearances of opposition leaders and a journalist in Belarus.

“Investigator of the Minsk prosecutor’s office Syarhei Kukharonak has sent us cover letters for three times during the year, which contained only two lines saying the case of Zakharanka’s disappearance has been prolonged for three months and we will be informed about the result of the investigation after it is over. The situation with cases of other oppositionists’ disappearances is the same. The same investigator has been “investigating” them for the ninth year. I sent a disk with video and photo evidences of how the authorities react to the actions in memory of the disappeared politicians to the UN working Group on Enforced of Involuntary Disappearances. Law enforcement bodies brutally dispersed an action in the memory on September 16, beat MP candidates, though similar actions are lawful, the Supreme Court said standing at a square with portraits in hands doesn’t violate the laws. Moreover, head of the Minsk city executive committee Mikhail Paulau took part in dispersing of the action of solidarity on September 16,” Aleh Vouchak noted in an interview to the Charter’97 press center.

As the human rights activist thinks, the authorities are obviously not interested in investigation the cases of political disappearances.

The Working Group on enforced disappearances will begin to work in the frames of the 86th UN session in Geneva in late November. A question on investigation of high-profiled cases in Belarus will be raised there.

It should be reminded that in 1999-2000 first vice speaker of the 13th Supreme Council of Belarus, chairman of the Central Election Commission Viktar Hanchar, businessman and public figure Anatol Krasouski, former interior minister, who later became an oppositionist Yury Zakharanka, ORT television cameraman Zmitser Zavadski disappeared in Minsk.

The international society insists on necessity to shed light to the destiny of the disappeared Belarusian oppositionists. Resolutions of the UN Commission on Human Rights and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the OSCE demand to reveal the truth of their disappearance.

A number of high ranking Belarusian officials, in particular, minister of internal affaires Uladzimir Navimau, head of the presidential administration Viktar Sheiman, former interior minister Yury Sivakou and commander of special troops Dzmitry Paulichenka are banned entry EU countries and the US for suspicion of their involvement in kidnapping of the oppositionists.