PACE Reacts to Sutiation with Disappearances in Belarus

28.01.2004.

The PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights adopted the draft resolution concerning the disappearances of public and political activists in Belarus. This document is the strictest of all documents concerning the situation in the country. The reporter, PACE deputy Hristos Purgurides stated that objective investigation of the cases of the missing persons would be possible only after retirement of Prosecutor General of Belarus Viktar Sheyman.

Henadz Kesner

At the sitting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe the draft recommendations, prepared by the deputy Hristos Purgurides, were approved. According to the head of the United Civil Party Anatol Liabedzka, this is the strictest documents concerning Belarus, ever adopted by international structures.

Aliaksandr Liabedzka: -- It is an extremely strict document. There haven’t been any documents of the kind in the history of the organizations that adopted draft resolutions about the situation in Belarus. Much of what Mr. Purgurides spoke was included in the draft resolution and the recommendations. The draft resolution was adopted almost unanimously, which means that Strasburg has a stable view on the issue of the missing persons in Belarus. What will come next? The draft was approved by one of the leading committees and at will be presented to the plenary sitting of the April assembly. It is extremely important that even in four years after the disappearances of Hanchar, Zavadski, Zakharanka and Krasowski this issue is still a daily one despite of the fact that the authorities took different measures to hide it. This issue will remain a daily one as long as the crime organizers are not found. Vice-head of the UCP Yaraslaw Ramanchuk met with the deputy Purgurides. On behalf of the coalition “5+” which has always paid much attention to this issue, he thanked for the work done. This question was also discussed at the meetings with Mr. Davis and Mr. Van Linder, leaders of the two largest fractions. That’s why I consider this day to be very important from political and moral point of view.

The committee reporter Hristos Purgurides urged the Council of Europe to go in for the objective investigation of the disappearances of the former Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Zakharanka, vice-head of the Supreme Soviet Viktar Hanchar, the businessman Anatol Krasowski and the PRT cameraman Zmitser Zavadski. The draft resolution contains the recommendation to the CE Committee of Ministers to take sanctions against the official Minsk in connection with this case.

Information Department of HRC “Viasna”