13 Years without Yury Zakharanka

13 years ago on this day the former Interior Minister Yury Zakharanka was forcibly abducted near his house.

The investigation of Yury Zakharanka’s disappearance has been extended until June 24, “Narodnaya Volya” writes.

- First the criminal case was opened on the fact of murder, - says the lawyer, a former investigator of the prosecutor’s office, and the head of the Public Committee on substantiation the facts of Yury Zakharanka’s abduction Aleh Vouchak. – Though in the first two days the investigators had been offered several testimonies of Zakharanka’s abduction, no one was engaged in real locating the group of persons who, in broad daylight, in full view of everybody, seized a person with the use of physical force. As said by witnesses, the unknown pushed him into the car, probably Zhiguli. Zhakharanka was fit, and he obviously put up resistance, and called out for help…

It is not excluded that Zakharanka’s abduction was videoed, as those who had been carrying out that operation could be unaware of the fact that the abduction would be followed by a murder…

It is clear that Zakharanka was not seized with the aim to rob him, as the actions of the bandits reminded a well-planned operation of special services.

Over these years there have been many theories, including the most awful ones, about what happened to Yury Zakharanka after he was abducted… In 2009 Lukashenka said to journalists that the former interior minister was killed for debts. However out of the answers of investigators, which were received by us in written form, it is clear that a political lead of Zakharanka’s assassination had been considered as well.

Will the chapter be closed on this case some day? I think yes. And those who are guilty are to be punished. Though many people doubt that: allegedly, all kind of important documents could be withdrawn from this case over the years, and witnesses could have died, and so on… As a professional investigator I can say that there are no ideal crimes. Indirect evidence is always left, pieces of evidence, investigators and field investigators who have important information and for sure have copies of some most interesting documents. So I am sure that we are going to learn the truth about this case sooner or later…

Zakharanka’s case is supervised by the Human Rights Committee, and as I have been assured, their interest in the subject will weaken only when either Zakharanka’s body is found, or those who had killed him go on trial…