November 12, Pozirk. Officials were undoubtedly involved in the murder of opposition activist Raman Bandarenka five years ago, former investigator Uładzimir Žyhar told Pozirk.
Drawing on information obtained by the Cyberpartizans hacktivist group, Žyhar was among former security officers who published an investigation in September 2021 identifying those allegedly involved in the assault that led to Bandarenka’s death. Among them, he named Natalla Ejsmant, spokeswoman for the Belarusian ruler; Dźmitryj Baskaŭ, now a member of the Council of the Republic; and Dźmitryj Šakuta, a martial arts master. Žyhar added that SOBR police officers and other unidentified individuals also took part in the attack.
Although officials denied the allegations, Žyhar said independent investigators had gathered solid evidence to substantiate their claims.
“This crime has no statute of limitations, and sooner or later those responsible for Raman’s death will be brought to justice,” he said.
Žyhar emphasized that once the Alaksandar Łukašenka regime falls, reconciliation in Belarusian society will not be possible without justice.
“There will be no reconciliation until the criminals receive the punishment they deserve. Anything else would be unjust,” he said. “Those who promote the idea of simply turning the page are hypocrites. If such crimes are forgotten, they will eventually happen again.”
The Prosecutor General’s Office of Belarus suspended its investigation into Bandarenka’s violent death in September 2021, citing a failure to identify the perpetrators.
On the evening of November 11, 2020, Bandarenka, 31, left his home in Minsk to find out why masked men were removing white-and-red ribbons from a courtyard fence. He was brutally beaten, taken to a police station, and hospitalized in a coma a few hours later. He died the following day from a severe head injury without regaining consciousness.
On February 18, 2021, the Prosecutor General’s Office stated that no law enforcement officers had been involved in the attack.
Bandarenka’s death sparked widespread public outrage, with protests erupting across the country.
Tut.by journalist Kaciaryna Barysievič, who investigated the case, was sentenced to six months in prison for publishing doctors’ findings from Bandarenka’s medical examination.
Kaciaryna Andrejeva and Darja Čulcova of Belsat TV were also imprisoned for covering the protests triggered by his death.
In August 2022, the Cyberpartizans released video footage and recorded phone conversations implicating Natalla Ejsmant, Alaksandar Łukašenka’s press secretary; Dźmitryj Baskaŭ; and Dźmitryj Šakuta, a professional kickboxer, in the assault.
