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Emigre opposition politician Zyanon Paznyak misses mother’s funeral

Zyanon Paznyak, the longtime emigre chairman of the nationalist Conservative Christian Party, decided not to travel to Belarus to attend the funeral of his mother, who died last week at the age of 89.

Hanna Paznyak was laid to rest on April 23.

Yury Belenki, deputy chairman of the opposition party, said in an interview with the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that it was sad that “great Belarusian Zyanon Paznyak cannot be here to bid farewell” to his mother.

The 67-year-old Paznyak has been living outside Belarus since April 1996, when he fled the country after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with his role in street protests against President Lukashenka’s pro-Russian policies.

In the period between May 1990 and January 1996, Mr. Paznyak was a member of the Supreme Soviet (parliament), where he headed the group of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF).

In 1994, Mr. Paznyak was a candidate in a relatively free and fair presidential election. Out of the six candidates on the ballot in the first round, he came third with 12.9 percent of the vote after Alyaksandr Lukashenka with 44.8 percent and Vyachaslaw Kebich with 17.3 percent.

In 1999, the Belarusian Popular Front's radical wing led by Mr. Paznyak split from the main BPF to found the Conservative Christian Party. The new party claimed to be the only true BPF successor and did not recognize the "other" BPF. It also distanced itself from the rest of Belarus’ opposition groups and labeled them as the "regime’s accomplices" for the lack of action against the threat of Belarus’ incorporation into Russia, and dependence on Western grants. //BelaPAN