OSCE: Investigation of Zavadski and Byabenin’s cases is in the interests of Belarusian authorities

According to OSCE representatives, the reason of the assassinations and disappearances are professional activities.

Representatives of the international journalistic community demand from the Belarusian authorities an unbiased investigation of the death of a journalist Aleh Byabenin and of disappearance of a cameraman Dzmitry Zavadski, BelaPAN informs.

These demands have been vocalized on September 16 in Kyiv at the international conference “Ten Years Later. Georgy Gongadze's Murder Not Disclosed: A Search for New Ways to Combat Impunity”.

In the openings remark of the representative of ARTICLE 19 organization (the Great Britain) Nataly Loskut stated that the today’s conference is dedicated also to other journalists, killed at work. Such cases continue, she underlined, offering as an example the recent death of Aleh Byabenin. “We believe that his death is related to his professional activities,” Loskut added.

As said by her, disappearance of Dzmitry Zavadski 10 years ago was not investigated properly as well. “The practice shows that such cases remain without investigation,” Nataly Loskut said.

The representative on Freedom of the Media of the OSCE Office Roland Bless stated that “the Belarusian authorities must investigate the death of Byabenin in a competent and transparent way, as it is not only in the interests of journalists, but in the interests of the authorities.”

“Everywhere state authorities bodies do not connect deaths of journalists with their professional activities, but with some criminal motives. However in most cases the reasons for murders, to our mind, is their professional activities,” Bless underlined.

A representative of “International Support of the Media” organization Jane Møller Larsen in her turn noted: the most alarming thing is that responsible for murders of journalists are not brought to account. That is why journalists are discuss effective ways of defense themselves, she believes.