Belarus plans to invite criminalists of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to study the case of the death of journalist Oleg Bebenin. It was reported on September 9 by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Andrei Savinykh.
According to the MFA official, Belarus will make a relevant statement at the plenary session of the OSCE Permanent Council to be held on September 9, BelTA informs. Andrei Savinykh expressed confidence in that impartial conclusions of foreign experts «will allow to exclude biased assessments and tendentious interpretation of the course and results of investigation».
«The invitation to the OSCE experts is an unprecedented step in legal practice not only in Belarus but also in other European countries. It is dictated by our concern with the emergence of various unfounded speculations and insinuations appearing not only in mass media but also in the statements of some international structures’ representatives», Andrei Savinykh stated.
However, Foreign Ministry spokesman paid attention of the OSCE member-states on that competent Belarusian bodies were very responsible in carrying out the investigation, everything was done in strict accordance with the law, at the level of world standards.
Moreover, in his speech, Andrei Savinykh expressed his condolences on the journalist’s death and emphasized that we should not forget that the death of a person is always a tragedy.
As Telegraf previously reported, a body of an opposition journalist, founder of Charter 97 website, Oleg Bebenin, was found on September 3 at his summer cottage near Minsk. After the forensic examination General Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus concluded that the journalist had committed suicide.
Nonetheless, colleagues and relatives of Oleg Bebenin do not believe in official version, claiming that he had no motive for that.
In connection with the death of Belarusian journalist, representatives of many European organizations (including the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, Foreign Ministry of Lithuania, European Federation of Journalists) urged Belarusian authorities to conduct an objective investigation into the circumstances and causes of the journalist’s death.
