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Aleh Baybenin’s funeral

The funeral of prominent journalist Aleh Byabenin was held at the Maskowskiya (Uskhodniya) cemetery in Minsk on Monday, BelaPAN reports.

The 36-year-old journalist, one of the prominent figures of an opposition group called Khartyya-97 (Charter’97) and the founder and director of the news website charter97.org, was found hanged in his summer house near Minsk on September 3. Police have said that the journalist committed suicide, but his associates insist that he had no reason to kill himself.

Hundreds turned out to pay last respects to him, including Stanislaw Shushkevich, who was chairperson of the Belarusian parliament and the formal head of state between 1991 and 1994; Andrey Sannikaw, leader of an opposition group called European Belarus; Alyaksandr Milinkevich, chairman of the Movement for Freedom; Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, leader of the "Tell the Truth!" campaign; Vintsuk Vyachorka, a former chairperson of the Belarusian Popular Front; Viktar Ivashkevich, chairperson of the Minsk city organization of the Belarusian Popular Front; Paval Sevyarynets, co-chairman of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party; Uladzimir Kolas, chairperson of the Rada (Council) of the Belarusian Intelligentsia; Zhanna Litvina, chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists; human rights defenders Ales Byalyatski, Aleh Volchak, Valery Shshukin and Tatsyana Ravyaka; filmmakers Yury Khashchavatski and Aleh Dashkevich; and Ihar Varashkevich, the frontman of Belarusian rock band Krama.