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Trees planted in Eindhoven in memory of abducted in Belarus (Photo)

On September 16, on the anniversary of Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Zavadsky’s disappearance, a rally was held in Minsk’s twin city Eindhoven. It was dedicated to forcibly abducted Belarusians.

The rally was held by the initiative “We Remember” in cooperation with a number of Dutch NGOs.

4 oaks were planted with the held of city authorities in the centre of Eindhoven on Tuesday September 16. Since 1995 Eindhoven is a twinned city of Minsk. The oaks were planted in memory of forcibly abducted Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski and Zmitser Zavadski. The rally was held with the help of city authorities, whose representative, a deputy of the city hall Mari Firs opened the event by a solemn speech. In her speech Mari Firs noted that the event has a great symbolic meaning in the first place for relatives and the loved ones of the forcibly abducted Belarusians.

Special guests from Belarus also delivered speeches: Dzmitry Markusheuski (The Belarusian Helsinki Committee), Mikalay Kanakh and Aleh Padalinski (Trade Union movement of Belarus), Iryna Krasouskaya (“We Remember” initiative).

“September 16 always was a very sad day for me,” Iryna Krasouskaya said at the rally. “This day was gloomy and dark for me. I do not know where my husband, the father of my daughters, the grandfather of my granddaughter, is buried. Now we at last have a place which is to become a symbol of the eternal memory about the one we had lost. Today I feel serenity for the first time, as our tragedy is not forgotten, and the memory about the forcibly abducted Anatol Krasouski, Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka, Zmitser Zavadski is to stay forever”.

The first tree planted in memory of Anatol Krasouski, was planted by Iryna and Valeryja Krasouski and Mary Firs. The trees in memory of Yury Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Zmitser Zavadsky were planted by Zmitser Markusheuski (The Belarusian Helsinki Committee), Mikalay Kanakh and Aleh Padalinski (Trade Union movement of Belarus), Maryjka Dusselier (Amnesty International), Berend Molz (the National Federation of Trade Unions of the Netherlands), Yury Audshorn (Mission to Minsk) and Leonor Ackermans (Solid Foundation).

After the trees were planted, a Dutch poet Leo Mesman read a poem which was dedicated to four disappeared Belarusians by him. Then those present had a minute silence in memory of the abducted, and after that white balloons were sent into the sky. The climax of the memorial action was several songs sung live by a local group. Texts of the songs had been written specially for the Day of Belarusian Solidarity.

Near the oaks symbolizing the eternal life of the forcibly abducted Belarusians, a memorial board with the names of the disappeared and a poem by Leo Mesman was placed.

After the ceremony of trees planting, participants of the action took part in the discussion “Trying to comprehend Belarus”. The discussion was held by the editor-in-chief of the publication SienceGuide P. Kruger. It was dedicated to the situation with human rights in Belarus. Participants of the discussion, representatives of Belarusian and Dutch NGOs shared their opinions about how Dutch NGOs and the government of the Netherlands could influence the political climate of Belarus. The discussion was organized with the support of the largest political parties of the Netherlands: the Labour Party (PvdA), GreenLeft (GroenLinks), and the Socialist Party.

A representative of the Amnesty International Sabina Zwirs told that her organisation plans to lobby an analogous rally in Minsk next year. The initiative “We Remember” expresses hope that the plans of Amnesty International would be implemented and the memory about the forcibly abducted Belarusians would be perpetuated in their native land. The initiative expresses gratitude to the NGOs who had contributed to organizing the rally, and to all those who in this or that way commemorated the forcibly abducted Belarusians on September 16.

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