Raman Bandarenka's Family: The Body Has Not Been Given to Us Yet

• 16.11.2020, 15:28

Relatives of the Hero of Belarus cannot get an appointment with the Prosecutor General's Office.

The General Prosecutor's Office is now "engaged" in the tragic death of 31-year-old Raman Bandarenka. In the morning, the family went to the department to get permission to take the body but could not get an appointment. Nobody contacted Raman's mother either, tut.by writes.

- Raman's mom has visited the General Prosecutor's Office twice today. At 9 am, the duty officer said to come at 11.00, then they said to wait for an answer and contact later, - says Volha Kucharenka, a cousin of Raman Bandarenka.

On the evening of November 12, the beaten young man died in an emergency hospital. The day before, doctors told his relatives: Raman's chance to survive is one in a thousand.

We will remind, 31-year-old Raman Bandarenka went to the "Square of Changes" on November 11 to ask people in civilian uniforms and masks why they are taking off white-red-white ribbons. As eyewitnesses said, unknown persons attacked Raman, began to beat him, and then "professionally detained" and carried him to a minibus. An hour and a half later, he was taken from the Central District Department of Internal Affairs of Minsk to the hospital. The operation lasted several hours; the life of the young man could not be saved.

- Back on Friday, we were in the Investigative Committee; they answered that the case is already in the Prosecutor General's Office and that we should contact them. We did so and did not receive an answer. We were told that it was the investigator who had to give permission to hand over the body," says Volha. - We do not know anything: whether the examination took place or not; the body of Raman has not yet been given to us, no one has contacted us. We have to plan a funeral. The fourth day has gone.

Those close to Raman say that one of the ritual halls offered them its services, and then said: "We have to refuse you." No specific reasons were given.

The journalists asked the General Prosecutor's Office for comment and asked how many more days the forensic medical examination would take before the family could get the body. The journalists did not receive answers to their questions.

A similar situation was with the deceased Hienadz Shutau, who was mortally wounded during the rally. When relatives came to Minsk to pick up the body, they heard: permission from the Investigative Committee is needed. The central office of the State Committee for Forensic Expertise then explained:

- Article 29 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Burial and Funeral Business" states that the body of the deceased is issued with the written permission of the entity that appointed this examination.

Hienadz Shutau died on August 19; the family was able to take him home on August 23.