European Forum

Belarus journalist and human rights activist found dead under mysterious circumstances

On September 3rd, founder and leader of the Belarus pro-opposition news portal Charter97 Oleg Bebenin was found dead in his summer house, in the vicinity of Minsk.

Strange circumstances

Although the official police version was quickly publicised as ‘suicide’, various national and international human rights organisations and Belarus opposition forces expressed serious doubt due to some strange facts surrounding the death.

Frist of all, no suicide note was found, and the journalist, who had been subject to harassment in the past – including a abduction in 1997 and a beating in 1999 – had just hours before his death made plans with friends to go to a movie. In fact, he was sending them text messages saying he was running late. According to Bebenin’s relatives, it was also very strange for him to go to the family summer house alone, as he had never done so before.

Close friend of Bebenin’s, Andrey Sannikov, who currently leads the opposition movement European Belarus and has some time ago announced his intention to run for President in the next elections – to take place in 2011 – in addition added that just days prior to his death, Bebenin agreed to be his political advisor in the Presidential campaign.

Manager of the Index on Censorship human rights organisation, Mike Harris, also noted that in recent months Bebenin was concerned for the safety of his colleagues, fearing a repeat of 1997-1999 when he survived by a miracle. He was also afraid oppositionists would start disappearing again.

Reactions

Many reactions followed Oleg Bebenin’s death and the mystery surrounding it. The story was picked up by foreign media, including the Russian state channels and Euronews, which both ran items on it noting the opposition’s denial of the official version.

Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliamnet stated that he is ‘deeply shocked by the tragic event’ and called on the Belarus authorities to hold a full and transparent investigation into the death of Oleg Bebenin’. The comments were echoed by Council of Europe rapporteur on Belarus Sinikka Hurskainen, who expressed her concern with connection to the death. She noted that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will closely follow the course of the investigation, and any other events in Belarus in the run-up to the Presidential elections, adding: ‘this especially goes for freedom of press and political rights’.

Representative of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Belarus Dunya Myatovich also expressed concern and called for an independent investigation. She stated: ‘the death of Oleg Bebenin is a huge loss for Belarusian journalism. His fighting website remains one of the few non-governmental sources of information, and the people working on it are subject to continued administrative pressure’.

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee also stated it was shocked and was mourning the death of the journalist: ‘we knew Oleg as a serious professional, an expert in his field, and also as a vibrant and energetic fighter for a free and democratic Belarus’. Despite the relatively quick conclusion of ‘suicide’, the law-enforcement has announced it will further look into the death.

Source: Charter97.org