OSCE to send 2 expert criminologists for investigating causes of Aleh Byabenin’s death

The Organization of Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) replied in the positive to the address of Belarusian authorities with a request to send two expert criminologists to Minsk.

As BelaPAN was told by Deputy head of the OSCE office in Minsk Zhandos Asanov, now the sides are to discuss technical details of the investigation of journalist Aleh Byabenin’s death. Byabenin was the editor of charter97.org oppositional website.

The body of 36-year-old Aleh Byabenin was found on September 3 in the evening in his summer house in Dzerzhynski district. Forensic experts found out that the cause of death was asphyxia as a result of strangling by a noose during hanging.

Friends, family and colleagues of the deceased doubt that the journalist could have parted life voluntarily. As said by the colleagues, Byabenin had no motives for a suicide, and official documents about his death have a number of inconsistencies, which raise doubts over the official version of the events.

International organizations have called upon the authorities of Belarus to carry out a thorough and unbiased investigation of the events of the oppositional journalist’s death.