Belarusian diplomat's death shrouded in mystery and scrutiny
10:17 AM EDT, June 27, 2024
Former Belarusian Ambassador to Germany Dzianis Sidarenka committed suicide. According to independent sources, the diplomat jumped from a high-rise building in Minsk on Sunday. On Wednesday, state-controlled media reported that he died of a heart attack.
Information about Dzianis Sidarenka's death first appeared in non-state media. The internet newspaper "Nasza Niwa" reported on the suicide. Only later did the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus provide its version to the media.
Sidarenka was the Belarusian ambassador to Germany from 2016 to 2024. On March 11, after eight years, he was dismissed from this position by Lukashenko's decree.
Belarusian diplomat dies. In March, he was dismissed from Berlin by Lukashenko
"Nasza Niwa" reports that after returning to the country, the diplomat became the subject of interest by the State Security Committee. He was interrogated multiple times and also underwent several polygraph tests.
In Belarus, every professional diplomat returning from a foreign post in the European Union undergoes such scrutiny. Sidarenka must have been thoroughly examined, as he held one of the more important positions in the diplomatic corps of Minsk.
The effects of the routine, strict operational control by the Belarusian special services ruined Sidarenka's career. He was not given a new position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which must have severely affected his mental state.
"Nasza Niwa" recalls that such dramatic fates affect many Belarusian dignitaries. However, it is rare for official sources to acknowledge that an official took their own life.
In November 2022, the 64-year-old Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, died. Independent sources cited suicide as the cause of his death, but the official version denied this. The same was true in the case of the death of the 46-year-old Minister of Transport, Alexei Avramenko.
Source: nashaniva.com
