Ulyana Zakharanka To Barsukou: How Are You Searching For My Son?

The mother of abducted general Yury Zakharanka addressed straight to the Minsk police chief.

On September 17, 2017, the mother of ex-minister of internal affairs of the Republic of Belarus Yury Zakharanka, who disappeared 18 years ago, sent a statement to the head of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee A. Barsukou, bydc.info reports.

The politician’s mother, as an affected party in the search case, asks Yury Zakharanka to provide her with the information regarding the work done by the special investigative services on searching for and establishing those involved in the crime for the period from 1999 to the present time.

We remind that after Yury Zakharanka’s disappearance, on May 9, 1999, the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee opened a search case on the application of his daughter Alena, and a complex of operational and search activities was conducted to determine the circumstances of Zakharanka's disappearance and his whereabouts.

And four months later, the day after the disappearance of Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski, "... on the basis of the analysis of the information received when conducting operational and search activities, on September 17, 1999, the republican prosecutor's office instituted criminal proceedings on the fact of Zakharanka's disappearance for an offence under the Article 101 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (a premeditated murder) (from the answer of Prosecutor General of the Republic Viktar Sheiman to the official request of the deputies of the House of Representatives concerning the investigation of cases of the prominent politicians and journalist Dzmitry Zavadski, disappeared in Belarus. The request was initiated by deputy Valer Fralou).

Ulyana Zakharanka writes in her statement: "For 18 years of searching for my son, our family has never received a response about the progress of operational activities on establishing the circumstances of Yury Zakharanka’s abduction, as well as on establishing the persons involved in this crime.

In 2005, my daughter-in-law Volha Zakharanka and her representative, Aleh Vouchak, applied to the the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee, so that the operational services informed us about the search for my son and for those involved in his abduction.

In particular, Volha Zakharanka raised questions in connection with the statements of Prosecutor's Office investigators Dzmitry Petrushkevich and Aleh Sluchak, that high-ranking officials of the country had been involved in abducting former Interior Minister Yury Zakharanka: former Interior Minister Yury Sivakou, ex-minister Uladzimir Naumau, ex-secretary Viktar Sheiman and former commander of the military unit 3214 Dzmitry Paulichenka. The Prosecutor's Office investigators stated that Yury Zakharanka could have been tortured. They provided the information on who had carried out unlawful actions against my son and in what way.

On March 14, 2005, deputy head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee A. Savitski responded to her appeal, informing briefly that the interior affairs bodies were taking all measures to find out the whereabouts of missing Yury Zakharanka. At that time, the whereabouts of my son and those who committed unlawful acts against him had not been established.

Twelve years have passed since A. Savitski’s response. During this time, none of the representatives of the Main Department of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee have met with us or provided with any information on conducting operational and search activities to establish the circumstances of Yury Zakharanka’s abduction, or whether the above-mentioned officials had been checked for involvement in the crime."