Mother not satisfied with progress of journalist murder investigation :: Charter'97 :: News

The mother of Veronika Cherkasova, a Belarusian journalist murdered on October 20, 2004, told reporters in Minsk on April 19 that she was not satisfied with progress of official investigation.

At recent meetings investigators asked the same questions as on the day that followed the journalist’s murder, Diana Cherkasova said at a news conference held by the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) six months after the journalist was stabbed to death in her apartment in Minsk.

“I have concluded that the enquiry has made no progress,” she said. “The official line remains the same - the murder was not linked to her professional activity. The suspects are the same - Veronika’s son, Anton, and stepfather Vladimir Meleshko.”

She said that the Minsk prosecutor had turned down her request to clear her grandson of suspicion.

The prosecutor said that there are no grounds for dropping the criminal investigation against Anton and Mr. Meleshko, adding that it would be impossible to do without Anton’s involvement in investigative actions.

Anton Filinonov, 15, fled to Moscow in early February to stay with his father after investigators declared their intention to place him in mental hospital for a psychiatric examination.

“It turns out that we have not only lost Veronika, but also the grandson, who cannot come to Belarus because of the prosecutor’s office’s suspicions,” Ms. Cherkasova said.