Disappeared persons in Belarus

The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights has been concerned for over two years by the disappearances of Yuri Zakharenko, former Minister of the Interior (disappeared on 7 May 1999), Victor Gonchar, former Vice-President of the Parliament of Belarus (disappeared on 16 September 1999), Anatoly Krasovski, businessman (disappeared with Mr Gonchar), and Dmitri Zavadski, cameraman for the Russian TV channel ORT (disappeared on 7 July 2000). Allegations made in public were brought to the attention of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights that these disappearances had a political background. This report is not a fully-fledged criminal investigation into these disappearances with a view to identifying those responsible. The purpose is to examine in a completely unbiased way whether a proper investigation of the disappearances has been conducted by the competent Belarusian authorities.

Introductory memorandum

A. Introduction

B. Preliminary conclusions

C. Basis for my conclusions

1. The official execution pistol
2. Witness statements and material evidence (paint traces, car fragments) relating to the scene of the abduction of Gonchar and Krasovski
3. The handwritten accusation by Police General Lapatik of 21 November 2000
4. The arrest and rapid liberation of Colonel Pavlichenko in November 2000
5. The alleged letter from former Prosecutor General O. Bozhelko to his Russian counterpart asking for specialised equipment
6. Other details of former Prosecutor General Bozhelko's story as told by
Mr Leonov
7. Personnel changes at the highest level of the power organs in November 2000
8. The secret trial of the "Ignatovich gang"

D. Consequences

APPENDIX

DETAILED PRESENTATION OF THE BASIS OF MY PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS

1. Information surrounding the official execution pistol

a. Deposition of Mr Alkayev
b. Explanations given to me by Mr Sivakov, former Minister of the Interior
c. Conclusions of Senior Investigator Chumachenko (see note 29)
d. The registry book and the pistol itself
e. My own preliminary conclusions on this issue

2. Witness statements and material evidence (paint traces, car fragments) relating to the scene of the abduction of Gonchar and Krasovski

a. Senior investigator Chumachenko's report
b. Explanations given by Interior Minister Naumov and Prosecutor General Sheyman
c. My own preliminary conclusions on this issue

3. The handwritten accusation by Police General Lapatik of 21 November 2000

a. (Recent) recognition of the note as genuine
b. Follow-up given to General Lapatik's note and other "versions"
c. (Absence of) legal measures taken against General Lapatik
d. Absence of legal action against journalists who published Lapatik's report
e. My own preliminary conclusions on this issue

4. The arrest and rapid release of Colonel Pavlichenko in November 2000

a. The official version
b. The version of the families of the "disappeared"
c. My own preliminary conclusions on this issue

5. The alleged letter from former Prosecutor General O. Bozhelko to his Russian counterpart asking for specialised equipment

6. Other details of former Prosecutor General Bozhelko's story as told by
Mr Leonov

7. Personnel changes at the highest level of the power organs in November 2000

8. The secret trial of the "Ignatovich gang"

NOTES