Official Anti-Semitism Picks Up Speed :: Charter'97 :: News

In an open address to the officials the president of the US-registered Universal Association of Belarusian Jews Yakov Gutman pleads to put an end to the manifestations of official anti-Semitism in Belarus. In his letter to the Ministers of defense, healthcare, culture, interior affairs and prosecutor general of Belarus, it is written that in the town of Mozyr (Gomel region) they started laying a gas pipeline under the surface of the old Jewish graveyard, closed in 60ies.

“In August this year they also carried out excavations for constructing someone’s cottage on the territory of another Jewish cemetery, located near the oncology hospital in Pushkina street. Although the district inspector Yuri Shevel filed a protocol on finding human remains there, the local authorities refused to put the ground works, which are underway there, to a halt” – complains the author of the letter.

Gutman also offers to set up a special commission, consisting of both official and public representatives, in order to bring to accountability the authorities of Mozyr and demand immediate cessation of excavations at the Jewish cemeteries of the town.

In his interview to BelaPAN Gutman reported that the missive of the same content had been also forwarded by him to the presidential administration.