30.08.2010 International community marks Day of Disappeared

Today, on August 30, the International Day of the Disappeared is being marked across the world. The International Day of the Disappeared on August 30 is an annual commemoration day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives.

07.07.2010 10th anniversary of disappearance of journalist Dzmitry Zavadski

10 years ago, on 7 July 2000, the Belarusian TV cameraman Dzmitry Zavadski went missing. In the morning he drove to the National airport Minsk to meet his colleague, journalist Pavel Sharamet, and has never been seen ever since. His car was found in the airport.

05.07.2010 ’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.

05.05.2010 Minsk authorities ban picket in memory of Yury Zakharanka

This time, the authorities motivated their denial in the following way: ‘holding of mass events is not allowed at the distance of less than 200 meters from pedestrian underpasses, metro stations’, ucpb.org informs.

05.05.2010 Inter-Parliamentary Union reminds authorities about disappearance of Hanchar and Krasouski

The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union unanimously adopted the resolution on disappeared Belarusian opposition leaders.

09.03.2010 Police drop criminal case on kidnapping of Zmitser Dashkevich

A criminal case opened on abduction of the Zmitser Dashkevich, Chairperson of the Young Front, has been suspended under Article 246 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, reads the letter received by the oppositionist and signed by A.Zhabinski, senior interrogating officer of the Zavadski police department in Minsk.

11.01.2010 Police deny abduction of Zmitser Dashkevich

Police and prosecutor’s office paid no reaction to the complaint of the Young Front chairman Zmitser Dashkevich about his abduction and taking out to a forest on 4 December.

09.12.2009 Police confiscated books from Dashkevich’s apartment after his abduction

Policemen seized about 50 books and 200 leaflets from an apartment of the Young Front leader.

08.12.2009 President of European Parliament condemns abductions in Belarus

Repressions against opposition put in question the relations of the European Union with the official Minsk.

07.12.2009 Statement by the Human Rights Center Viasna concerning the kidnapping of civil activists

The Human Rights Center Viasna would like to express its deep concern over the purposeful kidnappings of youth activists by representatives of security and law enforcement agencies. Over the past year, a number of leaders and activists of Belarusian youth organizations and movements, including Artur Finkevich, Nasta Palazhanka, Dzianis Karnou, Uladzimir Lemesh, Zmitser Dashkevich and Yauhen Afnahel, have been repeatedly kidnapped by representatives of security and law enforcement agencies.

18.11.2009 Authorities ignore complaint by family of missing person

16 November was the deadline for the Belarusian authorities to provide their comments on the complaint submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee by the family of the disappeared Anatol Krasouski. The complaint submitted by Iryna and Valerya Krasouskis was registered by the Committee on 16 November 2008, its copy being sent to the respondent, www.ciwr.org reports. The Belarusian authorities were initially to respond to the complaint by 16 May 2009. However, they demanded translating the document in Russian, instead, and thus received 6 more months for providing their comments. As yet, there is no reply to the complaint.

13.10.2009 Aleh Alkayeu speaks about abduction of Belarusian politicians in interview to ‘Salidarnasts’

Aleh Alkayeu’s book Firing Squad includes a number of testimonies that the Belarusian authorities are implicated in abductions of political opponents of the current regime.

08.10.2009 Terms of investigation of disappearance of Yury Zakharanka extended again

As the BelaPAN informs with reference to the human rights activist Aleh Vouchak, the investigation of disappearance of former interior minister of Belarus Yury Zakharanka has been extended till 24 December.

16.09.2009 Kidnapping of Hanchar and Krasouski: authorities have something to hide

The guilty of kidnapping of the oppositionists haven’t bee punished in spite of proofs and evidences.

Head of the Central Election Commission Viktar Hanchar and businessman Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped on September 16, 1999. They were walking down Fabrychnaya Street after visiting a bathhouse. Glass fragments from Krasouski’s car were later found on the site of forceful disappearance. Also blood was found on the glass fragments. A genomic examination defined with a probability of 99.9998% it was blood of Viktar Hanchar.

04.09.2009 Relatives of missing oppositionists demand that Lukashenka not be let in Lithuania

The Lithuanian-Belarusian economic forum, which Lukashenka plans to attend, is to open on 16 September. This day Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski were kidnapped ten years ago.