APPEAL of the Belarusian Association of Journalists dated for the 6 anniversary of the disappearance of Dzmitry Zavadski,cameraman for the Russian TV channel ORT with demands to Belarusian authorities to start the investigation again. (05-JUL-06)

Sourse www.baj.ru

On July 7, 2006 will be the 6th anniversary of the disappearance of Dzmitry Zavadski, an ORT cameraman and a BAJ member.

Six years was not enough for the investigators who have not managed to find out who were the organizers and performers of the crime and what exactly happened to Dzmitry. Zavadski´s relatives, friends and all Belarusian citizens are still in the dark about the fate of Dzmitry and other journalists who disappeared in Belarus. The criminal case has been closed and restarted many times but nothing has changed: no information is available.

In connection with it on April 28, 2004 the Parliamentary Assembly of Europe demanded (http://assembly.coe.int/main.asp?Link=/documents/adoptedtext/ta04/erec1657.htm )that the Belarusian authorities let conduct an independent investigation of Dzmitry Zavadski´s case and displace the officials that were suspected of participation in the crime from their posts. The authorities ored the appeal.

On March 31, 2006 the investigation of the case was stopped again by the Office of the Public Prosecutor of Belarus.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists expresses the opinion of more than one thousand its members and demands that the investigation should be started again. We will not calm down until we find the organizers and performers of the crime. We remember our friend and colleague Dzmitry Zavadski and we will never forget him.

APPEAL of the Belarusian Association of Journalists dated for the anniversary of the disappearance of Dzmitry Zavadski. Adopted at the meeting of BAJ Administration.

To read Mr Christos Pourgourides report “Disappeared persons in Belarus” 2004, please, click here
(http://assembly.coe.int//main.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/documents/WorkingDocs/doc04/EDOC10062.htm)