Zyanon Paznyak, a Belarusian historian, archaeologist, photographer, is famous for being an uncompromising opponent of Lukashenka’s regime. His grandfather Yan Paznyak, a reputed Belarusian politician and public figure,was arrested and allegedly killed by Stalin’s secret police in 1940s.
Zyanon Paznyak explored Kurapaty, a forested area in the outskirts of Minsk, in which, by various estimates, 30,000 – 250,000 were executed and buried during the Stalinist Purge. In 1988, Paznyak and his associate Yauhen Shmyhaliou published an article shedding light on the crime in Kurapaty that came as a bombshell and gave an added momentum to the pro-democracy and pro-independence movement in Belarus in the last years of the Soviet Union’s existence.
Zyanon Paznyak became one of the founders of the Belarusian People’s Front in 1980s. In 1990-1996, Paznyak was a deputy of the Belarusian parliament. The politician made a great contribution to the Belarusization of the 90s and the strengthening of the independence of Belarus.
After pro-Russian lawmaker Alyaksandr Lukashenka became president of Belarus in 1994, the contrast between the two politicians only sharpened. Fearing for his life, Mr Paznyak left Belarus in 1996; he has been living in exile since that time. In 1997, Belarus’s prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case against Paznyak.
Zyanon Paznyak takes part in the political activities as a leader of the Conservative Christian Party – BPF; he writes books and articles and shows up at rallies and pickets in Warsaw and New York.
Belsat TV wishes the prominent politician manny happy returns of the day!
