Disappearances and the cost of impunity
The persecution of political opponents did not begin in 2020. The state still owes answers to fundamental questions.
Former interior minister Yury Zakharanka, politician Viktar Hanchar, businessman Anatol Krasouski and cameraman Dzmitry Zavadski disappeared in 1999–2000. In a 2004 resolution, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe concluded that there had been no proper investigation and raised suspicions involving senior officials. Those are PACE's findings and suspicions, not a court verdict against an individual.
That is why dismissing difficult questions is dangerous. Families have a right to know what happened. The public has a right to demand an independent investigation, access to records and accountability through a fair trial. When grave possible crimes are not credibly investigated, fear becomes a tool of politics.
We condemn the state's failure to provide truth and justice in the disappearance cases. Later protest crackdowns, including mass detentions in 2017, show why impunity is not merely an old story. It shapes the decision of anyone considering a public disagreement with the authorities today.