Mr. Alexander Lukashenko
Republic of Belarus
VIA FAX 011-375-172-26-06-10

August 13, 2001

Dear Mr. Lukashenko,

The International League for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization devoted to protection of human rights, is extremely concerned with the recent attack on Sergei Strizhonok, a member of the Citizens' Commission of Investigation of Disappearances of Zakharenko, Gonchar, Krasovsky and Zavadsky.

On July 31, 2001, at approximately 11:00 p.m., a group of unidentified men ambushed Strizhonok as he was exiting the elevator of the building where he lives. The men sprayed a large amount of tear gas in Strizhonok's face and assaulted him, hitting his head, back, arms and legs with rubber sticks until he lost concsiousness. When leaving, the perpatrators said it was "in retaliation for his big mouth." Subsequent medical examinations revealed brain damage and severe bruises to his back, arms and legs.

This latest attack is part of a coordinated harassment campaign directed against members of the Commission, including routine telephone threats and steep fines for staging public protests demanding a full and transparent investigation into the disappearances.

Recently, two Belarusian investigators who had left Belarus and received political asylum in the United States have revealed credible evidence of a death squad run by you and/or members of your entourage. According to their accounts, then-Security Council head Viktor Sheiman (currently Prosecutor General) ordered the formation of the squad in 1996, and it has since been responsible for the murder of 30 people.

The League believes that the Commission and particularly Strizhonok have been targeted for their active role in investigating the disappearances and helping the investigators flee the country. We demand that this harassment be stopped immediately and those responsible for this attack held accountable. We also urge you to follow the recommendation of the UN Committee Against Torture made in November 2000 to form an "impartial governmental and non-governmental national human rights commission to . . . investigate all complaints of human rights violations," which would then assure a full and transparent investigation of the disappearances.

Sincerely,

Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
Executive Director