Kiev Remembers Belarusian Journalist Pavel Sharamet, Murdered Five Years Ago
- 20.07.2021, 11:20
Those who ordered the murder have still not been found.
People have gathered in downtown Kiev to honor the memory of Belarusian journalist Pavel Sharamet, who was killed on July 20, 2016, by an explosive planted under his car, reports Ukrainskaya Pravda
Colleagues and friends of Sharamet came Tuesday morning to the intersection of Ivan Franko and Bogdan Khmelnitsky streets, where exactly five years ago the explosion occurred.
The people brought a placard saying "The Political Case of Pavel Sharamet".
For 5 years, the investigation has not identified those who ordered the murder of the journalist. The case against those whom the Interior Ministry believes to be the perpetrators is being considered by the court.
The question "Who killed Pavel?" remains open.
Belarusian journalist Pavel Sharamet was killed by an explosion in the morning of July 20, 2016. An explosive device was planted under his car.
On December 12, 2019, law enforcement officials said they had detained three suspects in the murder: doctor and volunteer Yulia Kuzmenko, musician Andrei Antonenko, and military nurse Yana Dugar.
On May 22, 2020, the investigation into the case of the alleged perpetrators of the murder was completed. The investigation regarding those who ordered the murder was separated into a different case and it is still on-going. All detainees deny their involvement in the crime and call the prosecution political.
In January 2021, former Belarusian law enforcement officer Ihar Makar shared with EUObserver an audio recording allegedly made secretly in April 2012 in the office of then head of the Belarusian KGB Vadzim Zaitsau during a conversation with his subordinates. The recording, the authenticity of which has not yet been established, contains a conversation about the need to track down several political emigrants from Belarus and opponents of Lukashenka for the purpose of their possible assassination. Pavel Sharamet's name was also mentioned.
On July 15, Arsen Avakov was dismissed as head of the Interior Ministry, and on July 16, the new Minister of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrski said that he would assess the quality of the investigation into the murder of journalist Pavel Sharamet after the court decision.