Will politicians’ disappearance keep being investigated?

The limitation period of Yury Zaharanka’s  case (Belarusian ex-Minister of Internal Affairs) was over on May 7, 2014 but the investigation was prolonged by three months and gets prolonged every three months.

"They inform us about the fact that the investigation has been prolonged every three months. We checked our legislation and concluded that Zaharanka’s limitation period was over,” representative of Zaharanka’s mother Aleh Vouchak said.

The case was prolonged until September 24 and it is not clear what will happen after that. The investigation keeps being prolonged but no real investigation is being conducted, Vouchak said. Vouchak and Zaharanka’s mother want the case to be closed.

"They can continue and we will not understand anything this way. They present no information during investigations. If the case is closed, they will let us study the case papers. We may be able to appeal the decision and to make the case public. It seems that the authorities have chosen the tactics of suppression.”

The former Minister was abducted. General Zaharanka did not enter his house on May 7, 1999. 6 or 7 people had been waiting for him in a tinted Zhiguli. Investigators and the public prosecutor's office admit this fact, Vouchak said.

Looking for criminals is senseless now as the court will not be able to punish them because the limitation period is over, Aleh Vouchak thinks.

Human rights defender Harry Pahanyaila disagrees with it:

“It is necessary to find the criminals, the missing person or his body. Nothing like that has been done and it means that the investigation must be continued. The case cannot be closed until the fate of the missing person is revealed. Zaharanka’s mother was announced to be the aggrieved party after the 15-year term. It means that the investigation has been prolonged.”

However, no real investigation has been conducted for a long time, Harry Pahanyaila added. The cases of politician Victar Hanchar and businessman Anatoli Krasoski are in a similar state. They were started 15 years ago on September 17 and the limitation term will be over today. However, the Investigation Committee cannot report the status of the cases at the moment. They have promised to do it later.

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