12 years without Viktor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky

September 16, 1999 in Minsk were violently kidnapped the politician Viktor Gonchar and the businessman Anatoly Krasovsky.

Irina the widow of Krasovsky has repeatedly said: "If Gonchar was not lost, he would be the president of Belarus".

The last official information on the case of enforced disappearance of Anatoly Krasovsky his family received eight years ago.

- In January 2003, I received from Vladimir Chumachenko the investigator of Minsk prosecutor's office the statement on suspending the preliminary investigation in a criminal case of Gonchar and Krasovsky's disappearance, - says Irina. - In principle, this is the only detailed information (it was on seven pages), which we received over 12 years. In this official report, we found lots of facts and contradictions, which our lawyers, as well as the special rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Christos Pourgourides could use in order to draw conclusions about the involvement of certain senior Belarusian officials in enforced disappearances of political opponents.

The case of Krasovsky and Gonchar was suspended in January 2003 and then resumed in June 2003 - probably, partly due to our complaints and pressure of the world community, but more likely - not to make mistakes, such as providing opportunities to receive by relatives and lawyers an access to any official information on investigations of the cases of disappearances of political leaders in Belarus. Since 2003 I have no official information from the public prosecutor about conducting the investigative or other actions on Viktor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky's disappearance. Recalling that "the criminal investigation continues, information about ongoing in the criminal case's operational search activities and investigation activities won't be disclosed until the end of the investigation", the prosecutor's office for more than 8 years denied getting any information on the case until its conclusion to us. Approximately every 3 months I get an information that the investigation continues, signed by another chief, higher, highest or another investigator in particularly important or the most important cases of the prosecutor's office in Minsk. I think, they themselves embarrassed to see their signature on those documents, because it destroys their moral and professional self-esteem...

For 12 years we have been trying to find justice in Belarus which is not and will never be under the current regime. We just cherish the memory of those who left - of Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, Dmitry Zavadsky, Yury Zakharenko. There are no limits to our memories, there are no limits to our love for those who are forcibly deprived of life, as there is no statute of limitations for these crimes...

BY THE WAY

We remember...

On September 16 in Eindhoven (Netherlands) will be held the ceremony to commemorate the forcibly disappeared Belarusians.

The action will take place near the four oak trees which in fall of 2008 were planted in the center of the sister city of Minsk in memory of Yury Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky, Dmitry Zavadsky.