29/03/2025 President
Reacting to the disappearance of Anzhalika Melnikava, Speaker of the Co-ordination Council of the Belarusian democratic forces, the PACE President made today the following statement:
“I am deeply alarmed by the disappearance of Anzhalika Melnikava, Speaker of the Co-ordination Council of the Belarusian democratic forces, along with her daughters. The Lukashenka regime has a long history of using repression and intimidation against its opponents, making every such disappearance a matter of grave concern.
Anzhalika Melnikava has been a courageous advocate for a free and democratic Belarus. As part of the historic first representative delegation of Belarusian democratic forces to the Assembly, she addressed the Hemicycle in January 2025, where she spoke openly about the regime’s brutality and repression.
I join the PACE General Rapporteur for a Democratic Belarus, Ryszard Petru (Poland, ALDE), in appealing to anyone with information about the whereabouts of Anzhalika Melnikava and her daughters to immediately contact the Polish special services.”