’Investigation’ of Zakharanka’s abduction extended once again

Human rights activists are of the opinion that there’s no real investigation of the cases of the abducted political and civil activists.

On 25 June, Volha Zakharanka received a letter from the prosecutor’s office saying the period of the preliminary investigation in criminal case #110352 concerning the disappearance of her husband, firmer interior minister of Belarus Yury Zakharanka, has been extended until 24 September 2010 by the Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus.

Aleh Vouchak learnt this from Y.Varauka, a special crimes investigator from the prosecutor’s office of Minsk.

‘The investigation has lasted for more than 11 years already. I have recently found that that the Belarusian laws allow closing a case on abduction 15 years after the incident if traces of the person are not found. The UN Working Group on Involuntary Disappearances says it will demand to continue the investigation of the cases of political abductions in Belarus. In fact, no investigations are conducted in the country. Nobody is summoned for interrogations and the versions published by the media are not checked. This only confirms the opinion of the international community about the involvement of high-rank officials in the abductions and killings of oppositionists,’ Aleh Vouchak told in an interview to charter97.org.

General Yury Zakharanka disappeared on 7 May 1999. Witnesses of the abduction who were found not by investigators, but by a public commission, stated several men had forced Zakharanka in a car and taken him away.

Zakharanka had been dismissed some year before the abduction, as he didn’t share the views of Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his associates. Former minister was highly respected by his colleagues. He planned to create the Union of Military Officers. His opposition activity seemed especially dangerous to the authorities.