The tragic death of Aleh Byabenin, a well-known journalist and founder of news website charter97.org was a result of its professional activities and political intimidation of the media, his friends and associates believe.
He was found hanged on September 3, 2010 in his summer cottage not far from Minsk.
The circumstances around the suspicious death was checked by theprosecutor’s office of Minsk region. The authorities hastened to declare Aleh Byabenin had committed suicide. According to the investigators, there were no signs of violence on the body. At the same time, no suicide note was found either. But a probe into the death was never opened.
The circumstances of his death still raises many questions. Byabenin’s colleagues and friends do not believe that the journalist committed suicide. Those who were at the scene, claim that his body did have signs of violence. But exhumation was not carried out.
Byabenin was a member of the team of 2010 presidential candidate Andrey Sannikau, a former diplomat and leader of the civil campaign ‘European Belarus’.
A number of journalists who publicly expressed doubts about the official version of Aleh’s death received a barrage of threats and insults.
