On September 16 In Eindhoven (Netherlands) an action of solidarity with the political prisoners of Belarus and a commemoration ceremony dedicated to the involuntary disappeared Belarusians took place. Both events were organized by Amnesty International, FNV, Solid Foundation, Mission to Minsk and We Remember.
From 15:00 to 17:30 on the central square of Eindhoven an action with solidarity with all those sentenced on the «case of December 19» took place. The passers-by were faced with a stand with photos of all political prisoners, brief information and their addresses. Passers-by were asked to sign a postcard to a prisoner. The postcard was based on the painting «Rainbow» by Anatoly Krasovsky's daughter Valeriya.
The action aroused great interest among residents and visitors alike. More than five hundred postcards are sent to Belarus! Many senders of the postcards were shocked upon realizing the fact that in the heart of Europe a person can be imprisoned for expressing their political beliefs.
The commemoration ceremony started at 18:00 at Paradijslaan near the trees planted in memory of the involuntary disappeared Belarusians. The ceremony was opened by a minute of silence in the memory of founder of charter`97 web-site Oleg Bebenin who was found dead on September 4 2010 in his summer-house near Minsk.
Poet Leo Messman red his poems dedicated to the involuntary Belarusians. One of them, Four Trees, is engraved on the memorial plaque near the oaks
Daughter of Anatoly Krasovsky hold an emotional speech.
«4 year in a row we gather here, near these gracious 4 trees, — she said. — The trees are growing and become stronger, and so do I.
I've lost my father disappeared exactly 12 years ago. I was 17 back then, and my transition from childhood to adulthood was immediate and painful. The pain is still there. It transforms itself but it still is. The fatal uncertainty about the whereabouts of my disappeared father is something that prevents it from fading away.»
«12 years equals 4382 days, each of them full of mixed feelings: despair, grief, rage, hope. Every day I am on my eternal way from desolation to the hope that my family and I will find out the truth about what had really happened on September 16th 1999 and that the body and the soul of my father will finally find a proper place to rest, and so will our hearts.»
«The fate of Yuri Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky and Dmitry Zavadsky remains unknown. There are evidences, though, that high-ranked officials including the head of the state, are suspected to be involved in the abduction and possible murder of the four people. And this situation, crossing the edge of absurd, when the criminals are known but remain beyond the grasp of justice, only enhances the despair of the family members of the disappeared.»
«Today before launching this small commemoration event, on the square of the 18th September of Eindhoven-city we hold an action of solidarity with the political prisoners of Belarus. Their only fault is that they ever dared to use their constitutional right to freedom of speech. And their speech was no in the favour of dictator. The dictator is now using the prisoners as a currency for international monetary credits.»
«The only currency that family members of the involuntary disappeared Belarusians have is memory. The name of the foundation I represent is We Remember. Memory knows no borders and can hardly be falsified. Memory is something that noone can deprive us of. Memory is something that helps me personally to establish the spiritual connection with my disappeared father. Memory, full of happy things of the past, is something that helps me to meet the future.»
Other speakers were: Christie Midema (Amnesty International), Wim Dekkers (FNV) and Alena Lis (Office for Democratic Belarus). Municipal poet Piet van den Boom red the poem he dedicated to the involuntary disappeared Belarusians.
At the end of the ceremony participants launched white balloons into the air.
On the 16th of September 2008 in the center of Eindhoven, which is since 1996 a twin-city of the Belarusian capital Minsk, four trees were planted in the memory of the involuntary disappeared Yuri Zakharenko, Viktor Gonchar, Anatoly Krasovsky and Dmitry Zavadsky. Since then annual commemoration ceremony finds place near the trees on September 16.
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