The Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the PaParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided to join forces and adopted a common declaration of concern published on the case of Mr. Victor Gonchar, a prominent opposition politician who disappeared in Belarus.
The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians has been examining for several years the case of Mr. Victor Gonchar, a prominent opposition politician who disappeared in September 1999. The disappearance of several well-known persons, including Mr. Gonchar has also been of concern to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Its Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights appointed in June 2003 a Rapporteur, Mr. Christos Pourgourides, to enquire into these cases. His report which was published in January 2004, not only reveals serious shortcomings in the investigations but also that steps were taken at the highest State level to cover up the true background of the disappearances.
The evidence he was able to gather, led Mr. Pourgourides to suspect that senior State officials, including the current Prosecutor General, may themselves be involved in these disappearances. Both Committees consider that "the serious shortcomings in the investigation of such cases, and the evidence produced, including that related to the possible involvement of high state officials, cannot be ignored by the Belarusian authorities". They urge the competent Belarusian authorities "to take the necessary steps to ensure that an independent and effective investigation is conducted into these cases" and emphasise that "this presupposes an investigation into the role state officials may have played".
They consider in particular that "the strong doubts cast on the role that the current Prosecutor General may have played disqualify him from continuing to lead the investigation in Mr. Gonchar’s case, and should prompt the competent authorities to suspend him immediately from any responsibility in these investigations".
Finally, the IPU Committee and the PACE Committee urge the Belarusian parliament "to make use of its oversight function to ensure that these measures are indeed taken" and point out that "as long as the Belarusian authorities do not investigate the evidence revealed in the report, the suspicion will remain fully justified as to the role the state officials mentioned in the report may have played in the disappearance of the persons concerned".
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