Anatol Lyabedzka: “Case of Yury Zakharanka has no statute of limitation and doesn’t depend on political conditions”

The United Civil Party is going to hold a “chain of memory” on October square at 6.00 p.m. on May 7 dedicated to the 10th anniversary of disappearing former interior minister of Belarus Yury Zakharanka.

Leader of the UCP Anatol Lyabedzka told this the Charter’97 press center.

“We are going to hold an action on October square in Minsk, because the case of disappearance of general Zakharanka is not investigated. The authorities do nothing to bring to responsibility the people guilty of disappearance of Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski, and Zmitser Zavadski. We think a theme of political disappearances should be raised on an international level. In my view, some European politicians have stopped turning attention to this problem, though earlier it was one of the main points at negotiations with the authorities. But the case of Yury Zakharanka and the other disappeared people has no statute of limitation and doesn’t depend on political conditions,” the politician said.

Anatol Lyabedzka also noted the participates of the action on May 7 are going to demand release of political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, and Uladzimir Asipenka. “I was arrested many times, and I can say prisoners need our solidarity. We say at all international meetings that politicians shouldn’t shut eyes on a problem of political prisoners in Belarus. There are political prisoners in the country, and we must struggle for their freedom,” the UCP leader says.

It should be reminded that former interior minister and an opposition leader Yury Zakharanka disappeared in May 1999. Lots of people in Belarus and in the world think he was kidnapped on politically motivated grounds and possibly killed. The Belarusian authorities say the investigation is not finished, and the reasons of kidnapping of Zakharanka as well as his further destiny are unknown.

The international community believes that high-ranked Belarusian officials, in particular, minister of internal affaires Uladzimir Navumau, former Security Council secretary Viktar Sheiman, former interior minister Yury Sivakou and commander of special troops Dzmitry Paulichenka are implicated in abductions of Yury Zakharanka and other leaders of Belarusian opposition.