Late in the evening of September 16th, 1999, businessman Anatoly Krasovsky and opposition leader Viktor Gonchar got disappeared while they were leaving a bathhouse in Minsk. That same night the death penalty execution pistol was borrowed. Since then the investigation of the case is being counteracted by the Belarusian government. But we do not forget Viktor Gonchar and Anatoly Krasovsky. As we will never forget Yuri Zakharenko (former Minister of Internal Affairs) and Dmitry Zavadsky (TVjournalist) who disappeared on May 7th, 1999 and July 7th, 2000. What all four men shared, were their critics on the government of dictator Lukashenko.

We commemorated these disappearances with the planting of four trees in Eindhoven on September 16th, 2008. Organisations involved in the human rights issue in Belarus, came together in the Dutch city Eindhoven, the twin-city of Belarus capital Minsk.

The trees have been planted by Mary Fiers (elderman Municipality Eindhoven), Iryna and Valeriya Krasovskaya (We Remember Foundation), Dzmitry Markusheuski (Belarus Helsinki Committee) and Marijke Dusseljee (Amnesty International); Nicolai Kanakh, Oleg Podolinski (BKDP) and Berend Molz (FNV Bondgenoten); Joeri Oudshoorn (Mission To Minsk) and Leonoor Akkermans (Solid Foundation).

Every year on September 16th, we commemorate the anniversary of the four disappearances between the four trees at the Paradijslaan in Eindhoven.

This year the commemoration ceremony is set to take place on Sunday September 16th, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. with speeches by:

• Valeriya Krasovskaya (We Remember)
• Marijke Dusseljee (Amnesty International)
• Jan Marinus Wiersma (Clingendael)
• Natalia Kaliada (Free Theatre)

Leo Mesman and city poet Piet van den Boom will recite their poems, and the poem In Memory of the disappeared written by Vladimir Neklyaev for this commemoration.

The event is open for attendance.

Official site of the event: http://www.vierbomen.nl/