“Savetskaya Belorussia” insulting memory of General Zakharanka

A press organ of the President’s Administration writes that former interior minister Yury Zakharanka organized kidnapping of Belarusian mafia bosses.

In late February, Moscow officers of law enforcement agencies detained mafia boss Vladimir Biryukov aka Birya on request of their Belarusian colleagues. Some days later, this man, whose criminal career was connected with Babruisk, was released from custody on his own recognizance. Some days later Biryukov died from heart failure, according to an official version. Belarusian media reacted to this event with detailed articles.

So, editor-in-chief of the printed organ of the President’s Administration “Sovetskaya Belorussia” Pavel Yakubovich under penname Pavel Staradub, writes the article “I’ll never see freedom. Actually?”:

“Minister of internal affaires Yury Zakharanka, now more known as “liberal” politician, was tough with both right and left... (ellipsis is in the original article – note of the Charter’97 press center) Shchavlik mysteriously disappeared, thief Arsen, who came for help, disappeared in the darkest cellars of the prison in Valadarski Street for a long tome, and appeared, calm and sickly, in a penal colony in Ivatsevichy. Belmo, out of harm’s way, went on a world tour to exotic seas. Zakharanke proudly reported to President that Moscow thieves informed the Minsk underground that they should lie doggo to wait for some time.” The article also says about numerous facts of criminal showdowns and murders in late 1990ies.

Pavel Yakubovich obviously slants facts.

Yury Zakharanka held office of minister of internal affaires of Belarus since August 1, 1994 to October 16, 1995. After his dismissal, a post of the head of the interior ministry was occupied by State Secretary of the Security Council Viktar Sheiman part-time. In early 1996, a vacancy was occupied by a commander of the internal troops Valyantsin Ahalets (by the way, before Ahalets had come to Belarus, he was a commander of internal troops of Uzbekistan). Yury Sivakou took a position of head of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affaires under Ahalets, and in early 1999 accepted a post of minister.

At the end of 1997, after a loud killing of official Yauhen Mikalutski, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said: “I’d like to address criminal via media: remember, that ground will be burning under your feet”. This direct threat was executed. Being unable to control criminality by lawful means, the authorities choose other ones.

“On December 10, 1997, thief in law Shchavlik aka Vladimir Kleshch disappeared. He went out to drive a car to a parking for five minutes – he didn’t even take a mobile phone – and didn’t returned. He disappeared without traces. Later, another mafia boss Mamontyonok disappeared, too. Some other criminals, not so powerful, disappeared as well. Later Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in public: “I have warned all of you – I’ll pull off your heads. Do you remember these shchavliks and the rest? Where are they now?” Russian “Novaya Gazeta” wrote.

By 1997, Yury Zakharanka hadn’t been a minister of foreign affaires for some years. He was disrated, was in political disgrace. So, he couldn’t report to Lukashenka “proudly”, as the article writes.

At that time, according to independent media, work of “death squads” was running smoothly. They demonstrated their abilities in a series of political disappearances and killings of opponents of the regime in 1999–2000. Yury Zakharanka, Henadz Karpenka, Zmitser Zavadski, Anatol Krasouski, and Viktar Hanchar became their victims. Next year we wil mark ten years since these crimes were committed. The international community suspects the high ranking Belarusian authorities of involvement in these crimes. Relatives of the disappeared and killed people have been seeking for fair investigation of these loud cases.

This situation in mentioned in 2008 report on human rights, Issued by the US Department of State:

“There were no reports of politically motivated or other disappearances during the year. On April 8, the prosecutor general extended for another three months its nine-year investigation into the 1999 disappearance of former interior minister and opposition leader Yuriy Zakharenko. There were no developments in the ongoing investigations in the 1999 disappearances of opposition activist Viktor Gonchar and businessman Anatoliy Krasovskiy. In 2006 authorities suspended the investigation into the disappearance and presumed killing in 2000 of journalist Dmitriy Zavadskiy. There was evidence of government involvement in these cases, but authorities continued to deny any involvement in the disappearances.”