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Mikalai Statkevich: Ihar Kananovich’s Death Causes Concern

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Mikalai Statkevich: Ihar Kananovich’s Death Causes Concern
PHOTO: SVABODA.ORG

It is necessary to conduct an objective investigation into the death of poet Ihar Kananovich.

Belarusian opposition leader Mikalai Statkevich wrote that on his Facebook page, commenting on poet Ihar Kananovich’s death in Minsk.

“Yesterday, at the beginning of the session of the People's Hramada Presidium its members observed a minute of silence in memory of Ihar Kananovich.

Ihar was with us since February this year. He was involved in our affairs. Last time we saw him on May 8 during the People's Hramada traditional rally on the occasion of laying flowers on the graves of Soviet soldiers at the military cemetery in Minsk on the day of completion of the Second World War in Europe. The police tried to thwart the rally, but Ihar stayed with us until its end.

There is a lot of incomprehensible in his tragic death. Ihar had a normal family, a lot of friends, significant creative achievements. Some commentators’ references on the content of his poems and material hardship, as the proof of his voluntary withdrawal from life, are not convincing. Young poets often write such poems. And then live to old age. What concerns financial difficulties, they are, unfortunately, not uncommon in today's Belarus.

The following facts are alarming. 20 minutes before his death, Ihar agreed with his friend upon a car to move to another apartment. According to his friend, he was in a normal mood.

It is also unclear why his body was found so far away from his house, from which he had allegedly thrown himself. And finally, it’s that very house, which is located at the corner of the avenue and Kastrychnitskaya Square.

There are known cases when activists tried to put up the national flag on its roof. But their persistent attempts were unsuccessful, as the house is watched over as a regime object, and the access to its roof is heavily protected.

One of the sites has been sent the information, that Ihar was trying to hang a banner and died as the result of law enforcement officers’ attempts to stop him. This information requires objective examination.

We urge the authorities to conduct an objective investigation and publicize its results. We also ask anyone who has information about this tragedy, to report it either to us, or to the democratic media,” –Statkevich wrote.

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