Adrian Severin, United Nations human rights envoy urged Belarusian authorities to investigate the murders of the journalists Vieranika Charkasava and Vasil Hrodnikau, left, and end “systematic harassment and persecution” of non-state media. He also called on authorities to ensure respect for the right to freedom of opinion and expression. (14-NOV-05)
The deaths of Vieranika Charkasava in October 2004 and Vasil Hrodnikau last month must be resolved and the perpetrators prosecuted, he said in a statement. Besides, Belarusian authorities still haven?t found out the fate of Dzmitry Zavadski, cameraman of the Russian TV channel ORT, who disappeared in strange circumstances five years ago.
We should remind that Vieranika Charkasava, right, journalist of the popular newspaper Salidarnasts, was stabbed to death in her flat in Minsk on 20 October 2004. According to Severing, the journalist had investigated alleged arms sales by Belarus to Iraq and published articles on surveillance methods used by Belarusian authorities to monitor civilians? activities. The freelance correspondent of Narodnaia Volia newspaper Vasil Hrodnikau was found dead in his house in the town of Zaslauie (Minsk district) on 18 October 2005. The following day his brother said the journalist had already survived an attack in January and was killed for his work over the article Swindlers-3 where KGB and Ministry of Internal Affairs were mentioned.
In both cases the Belarusian authorities almost immediately excluded the professional version of the murders.
Adrian Severin is the former foreign affairs minister of Romania. In July 2004 he was appointed the Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Belarus. However, Belarusian authorities refused to cooperate with him and prohibited to enter the country.
It?s not the first case when the international community turns attention to the deteriorating situation of the independent press in Belarus. Johann Fritz, Director of the International Press Institute, said: “We are very concerned that this murder, like the murders of Vieranika Charkasava will remain unsolved. I call on the Belarusian authorities to ensure that there is an immediate and thorough investigation into this murder and that those responsible are brought to justice. I further urge the Belarusian authorities to take all possible steps to stop attacks on journalists and the alarming impunity that accompanies these crimes.”
The international organization Reporters Without Borders stated: “Several facts seem to support the argument that Charkasava was murdered because she was working on a particularly sensitive investigation. We hope that the investigation headed by Uladzimir Chumachenka will be carried out with complete impartiality and with the desire to shed full light on this case, and we therefore call on him and the interior minister to consider the theory that seems most probable to us, that she was killed because of her work as a journalist.”
Murder of opposition-minded individuals and journalists is an indicator that shows the country?s moving to the closed society. On this mournful way Belarusian authorities use all possible means to liquidate the independent press and the civil sector.
