Swedish human rights activists: The world must remember victims of flagrant crimes in Belarus

Östgruppen human rights organization issued a statement on the tenth anniversary of disappearance of opponents of Lukashenka’s regime.

“Ten years ago, Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped and killed in the capital of Belarus. Officially, the guilty persons have not been found so far, but an independent investigation revealed: people from Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s inner circle are most likely responsible for the crimes,” the statement says.

“The world must remember the victims of these flagrant crimes and demands a serious criminal investigation in order to find the guilty and bring them to responsibility,” Östgruppen chairman Martin Uggla said.

As the Swedish human rights activists say, they mean “the political killings, the current regime is suspected of. As a serious and objective criminal investigation has not been carried out, this issue remains topical.”

Viktar Hanchar, the first vice speaker of the 13th Supreme Council of Belarus and the head of the Central Election Commission, and his friend businessman Anatol Krasouski disappeared in Minsk on September 16, 1999.

Opposition politician Yury Zakharanka, the former interred minister of Belarus, disappeared earlier in 1999. ORT camera operator Zmitser Zavadski disappeared in 2000.

The international community states the fate of the missing Belarusian oppositionists should be cleared up. The UN Human Rights Committee, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE demand to reveal the truth about these disappearances.

A number of high ranking Belarusian officials, namely former interior minster Uladzimir Navumau, former secretary of the Security Council Viktar Sheiman, former interior minister Yury Sivakou, and former commander of the special rapid response unit Dzmitry Paulichenka were banned entry to the EU countries and the United States because they are suspected of involvement in kidnapping the oppositionists.