On EU summit day May 7, Belarus to remember abducted general Zakharanka

The United Civil Party has initiated a rally in memory of the former head of the Internal Ministry abducted 10 years ago.

“Our colleague was forcibly abducted exactly on May 7,” Radio Svaboda quotes the UCP leader Anatol Lyabedzka. “This year Alyaksandr Lukashenka will be possibly in Prague. But no matter whether he would go there or stay in Belarus, we are to carry out such a protest”.

As noted by Radio Svaboda, no serious attempts have been made by the Belarusian regime to investigate disappearance of the former minister. As said by the political emigrant and former director of the remand prison #1 Aleh Alkaeu, Yury Zakharanka was abducted, and then shot to the order of the people close to Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

As we have informed, the former Interior Minister and one of the leaders of the opposition Yury Zakharanka went missing on May 1999. Many people in Belarus and abroad believe that the investigation hasn’t been finished yet, and reasons of Zakharanka’s abduction and his whereabouts are unknown.

The international community believes that a number of Belarusian high-ranking officials, in particular minister of internal affaires Uladzimir Navumau, head of the president’s administration Viktar Sheiman, former minister of internal affaires Yury Sivakou, and former commander of special task squad Dzmitry Paulichenka are involved in kidnapping of Yury Zakharanka and other oppositionists.