Viktar Hanchar, or Viktar Hančar ( be, Віктар Ганчар, russian: Виктор Гончар, Viktor Gonchar, September 7, 1957 – September 16, 1999?) was a
Belarusian politician who
disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...
and was presumably murdered in 1999. He was born in the village of Radzichava, Slutsk Raion.
Hanchar graduated from the Law Department of the
Belarusian State University
Belarusian State University (BSU) ( be, links=no, Белару́скі дзяржа́ўны ўніверсітэ́т, ; russian: links=no, Белору́сский госуда́рственный университе́т) is a university in Mins ...
in 1979 and worked as law research worker at different major Belarusian institutions.
Political career
Beginning in May 1991, Hanchar worked as first deputy chairman of
Maladzyechna
Maladzyechna ( be, Маладзе́чна, Maladziečna, ; russian: Молоде́чно, Molodechno; pl, Mołodeczno) is a city in the Minsk Region of Belarus, an administrative centre of the Maladzyechna District (and formerly of the Maladzyech ...
mayor. In May 1994, he ran for the Constitutional Court of Belarus, but did not receive the support of most MPs.
During the presidential elections in 1994, Hanchar was one of the most active in the election campaign headquarters of
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лука ...
. In 1994, after the victory of Lukashenko in the presidential elections, Hanchar was appointed Deputy
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
of Belarus, but soon resigned. Hanchar joined the opposition to the president and joined the
United Civic Party
The United Civic Party (UCP; be, Аб'яднаная грамадзянская партыя; АГП, Abjadnanaja hramadzianskaja partyja; AHP; russian: Объединённая гражданская партия; ОГП, Obyedinonnaya grazhdans ...
, becoming a member of its Political Council (since 1995). In 1995-1996 he was general secretary of the
CIS
Cis or cis- may refer to:
Places
* Cis, Trentino, in Italy
* In Poland:
** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central
** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north
Math, science and biology
* cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...
Economic Court.
In 1995, Hanchar was elected to the
Supreme Soviet of Belarus
The Supreme Council of the Republic of Belarus, sometimes translated as Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Вярхоўны Савет Рэспублікі Беларусь), was the unicameral legislature of Belarus between 1991 an ...
. In 1996 he was appointed chairman of the Central Election Committee (CEC), and actively opposed to Lukashenko during the
1996 referendum. In 1996, he was dismissed by the president from his position. Hanchar never recognized the results of the 1996 referendum as legitimate. In 1998, Hanchar led an alternative Election Committee during the
1999 presidential election, organized by the opposition as a protest against constitutional reforms by Lukashenko.
Disappearance
Hanchar
disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...
in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
on September 16, 1999, along with his friend, the businessman
Anatol Krasouski
Anatol is a masculine given name, derived from the Greek name Ἀνατόλιος ''Anatolius'', meaning "sunrise".
The Russian version of the name is Anatoly (also transliterated as Anatoliy and Anatoli). The French version is Anatole. A rarer ...
. Pieces of broken glass and blood were found on the supposed site where Hanchar and Krasouski had been last seen. On December 5, 2002, they were officially declared missing by the court. In January 2003, the Chief Prosecutor of Minsk suspended the criminal investigation into the disappearance of Hanchar and Krasouski.
According to the former head of jail number 1
Oleg Alkaev (Aleh Alkaeu), Viktar Hanchar was abducted and executed on the order of people close to President Lukashenko. Investigation of the disappearance of Hanchar and Krasouski is one of the main issues of the Belarusian opposition, and is also mentioned in the documents of international organizations.
In September 2004, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
issued travel bans for five Belarusian officials suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of Hanchar: Interior Affairs Minister
Vladimir Naumov
Vladimir Naumovich Naumov (russian: Влади́мир Нау́мович Нау́мов; 6 December 1927 – 29 November 2021) was a Russian film director and writer. Naumov was named People’s Artist of the USSR in 1983. He was a schoolmate o ...
, Prosecutor General
Viktor Sheiman
Viktor Vladimirovich Sheiman ( be, Віктар Уладзіміравіч Шэйман, translit=Viktar Uladzimiravich Sheyman, russian: Виктор Владимирович Шейман, translit=Viktor Vladimirovich Sheyman; born 26 May 195 ...
, Minister for Sports and Tourism
Yuri Sivakov, and Colonel
Dmitry Pavlichenko from the Belarus Interior Ministry.
For several years the Belarusian opposition has organized the
Day of Solidarity with Belarus
A Day of Solidarity with Belarus is an action proposed by the Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip, supported by the civic initiative '' We Remember'' and the ''Zubr'' movement.
:''Let us all together switch off the light in our apartments for sev ...
on the 16th of every month to commemorate the disappearance of Hanchar, Krasouski,
Jury Zacharanka
Colonel Yury Zakharanka ( Belarusian: ''Юрый Захаранка'', Russian: ''Юрий Захаренко'', ''Yuri Zakharenko''; January 1, 1952 – 1999) was the Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs and opposition politician abducted ...
,
Dzmitry Zavadski
Dmitry Alexandrovich Zavadsky (russian: Дми́трий Алекса́ндрович Зава́дский) or Dzmitry Aliaksandravich Zavadski ( be, Дзмітрый Аляксандравіч Завадскі; 28 August 1972 – declared dead ...
, and the mysterious death of
Hienadz Karpienka.
In December 2019,
Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave" in English), abbreviated to DW, is a German public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite television service con ...
published a documentary film in which Yury Harauski, a former member of a special unit of the Belarusian Ministry of Interior, confirmed that it was his unit that had arrested, taken away and murdered Yury Zakharanka, and that they later did the same with Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski.
See also
*
List of people who disappeared
Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ''in absentia''. Some of these people were possibly subjected to enfo ...
References
External links
Kidnapping of Hanchar and Krasouski: authorities have something to hide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanchar, Viktar
1957 births
1990s missing person cases
Belarusian jurists
Belarusian State University alumni
Members of the Supreme Council of Belarus
Missing people
Missing person cases in Belarus
People from Slutsk District
United Civic Party of Belarus politicians