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President of Association of Belarusian NGOs in Lithuania found to have died from cardiac arrest

A post-mortem examination found that Raman Vaynitski, a prominent figure of the Belarusian community in Lithuania, had died from a cardiac arrest, but experts will be able to establish its cause only in five or six months, reported the website http://www.balsas.It.

The president of the Association of Belarusian NGOs in Lithuania and deputy headmaster of Francisak Skaryna Belarusian School in Vilnius was found dead on March 6 in the basement of the apartment building where he lived.

The body of the 52-year-old Vaynitski with marks of violence was found by his wife after she came into the basement. The man was tied up and his mouth was taped shut.

The Vilnius Circuit Prosecutor' Office has developed a list of possible suspects but has not had enough evidence to arrest any of them. There were several theories being examined and some of them have already been rejected. Investigators still have no clue as to why the victim was tied up.

On March 5, Mr. Vaynitski told Khvedar Nyunka, the long-time chairperson of the Belarusian Culture Society in Lithuania, that he had been followed and received threats over the phone.

A Lithuanian TV channel speculated that Mr. Vaynitski might have displeased Russia because he opposed Russia`s efforts to unite ethnic minorities in Lithuania against the Lithuanian government. //BelaPAN