Relatives of Missing Ask UN to Apply All Possible Pressure Means to Belarusian Authorities

13.04.2004.

Mothers of the missing Belarusian politicians Valiantsina Hanchar, Uliana Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar’s wife Zinaida Hanchar and mother of the missing journalist Zmitser Zavadski Volha Zavadskaya passed a letter to the UN Commission on Human Rights with the assistance of the head of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski who was invited to the commission hearings.

In their letter they state: “We, mothers and wives of the missing Belarusian politicians and journalist Zinaida Hanchar, Valiantsina Hanchar, Volha Zavadskaya and Uliana Zakharanka, completely support the UN Resolution on human rights violations of 17 April 2003. We are grateful for your concern about the fate of our relatives.

We inform you that for the time that passed since the adoption of the Resolution there weren’t any changes with the cases on the kidnaps of the regime’s opponents. Your urges concerning retirement or terminal displacement of the duty officials who could have relation to disappearances or/and lawless death punishments from their positions till the appropriate investigation weren’t taken into consideration. All necessary measures for complete and objective investigation of the forced kidnaps of our relatives and punishment of the persons guilty weren’t taken.

We ask you to apply all possible means of pressure on Belarusian authorities within your competence to make them execute their undertakings to the country’s citizens and the international commitments of the Republic of Belarus.

We are grateful to you for understanding of the situation of our families and believe that your actions will help in finding the truth about what happened to our relatives, because, despite the fact that much time has passed, we continue to wait and hope”.

Relatives of the missing persons hope that the Resolution that will be adopted in Geneva on Thursday, reflects the rights of their relatives.

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