“Given these facts find confirmation, we will have to deal with not only a non-democratic and illegitimate, but now also a criminal regime,” – commented Charter’97 international coordinator Andrei Sannikov on the recently mailed letter by Dmitry Petrushkevich, charging the government with abductions and killings of political opponents.

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This morning they abruptly cut off the broadcasting of Russian channels – ORT, RTR, NTV, “Culture”. The state TV company reassures the viewers that the pause was caused by the scheduled prophylactics. However, the fact that they never notified in advance most of the periodicals, which reprint TV schedules, speaks for itself.

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Radio Svaboda clarified that the author of the scandalous letter, revealing the details of investigation procedures on Dmitry Zavadsky’s case, Dmitry Petrushkevich is indeed acting employee of the state general procuracy. He presently works as investigator for the Soviet district procuracy, whereas in January 2001 he was included into the investigative group on Zavadsky’s matter.

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Press-services of police, KGB and procuracy general declined to comment on the message, written by the employee of the investigation crew on Zavadsky’s case Dmitry Petrushkevich, who blames the authorities for abducting people. “As a matter of fact, I read this letter this morning on your site. Before that I spoke to the Minister Naumov and he said that he would possibly comment on it himself. You have to realize that the accusation is very serious. It not only involves police but something way higher,” – commented police press-secretary Dmitry Porton on the sensational letter.

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“At the moment the members of the investigative crew on Zavadsky’s case appear in a very dangerous situation. They became outcasts in the procuracy; the pressure exerted on them is so heavy that they simply can’t bear constant threats against them and their loved ones. Two detectives already died under strange circumstances allegedly from heart attacks. The key witness on Zavadsky’s case also passed away. The investigators realized that it is better to tell everything in open than suddenly die from heart malfunction,” – commented on the sensational letter an ORT special projects department head Pavel Shermet in a conversation with Charter’97 press-center.

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Representative of the investigative group of the Belarusian procuracy Dmitry Petrushkevich made public on June 11, 2001 the new data, dealing with the “disappearance cases” investigation in Belarus. According to Petrushkevich and his co-worker, former procuracy staffer Oleg Sluchek, Belarusian authorities set up a special group, which physically annihilates those who fall in disfavor. The death squadron includes former riot police militants Ignatovich and Malik, charged under “Zavadsky’s case”. A group of murderers was established a few years ago by a then Interior Minister Yuri Sivakov (present-day top official in Lukashenko’s Administration) upon the command of the former State Secretary Viktor Sheiman (current prosecutor general). The squad is headed by special police officer Dmitry Pavluchenko. Another sensational news is that the present-day Interior Minister Naumov regularly visits the arrested Ignatovich and Malik in jail, along with the newly emerged data about the weapon, the killers used – the gun, from which they shoot those on death row in Belarus. Petrushkevich and Sluchek claim that the victims of political persecution are to be looked for in the vicinity of the Northern graveyard, located near Novinki hospital campus. Previous attempt, undertaken by ex-KGB chief Matskevich and ex-prosecutor general Bozhelko to locate the corpses of the assassinated politicians ended up in a loud scandal and staff reshuffles. The interview ends with the promise to shortly present video-records of the interview, given by Petrushkevich and Sluchek. The two allege that they possess numerous documents on Zavadsky’s case. Later in the day we’ll provide the full text of the interview in English.

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