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About the Foundation

Dmitry Zavadsky Foundation is ready to cooperate with everyone who wants to see Belarus a free and democratic country, where the freedom of speech is not just a dream, but everyday reality.

Dmitry Zavadsky Foundation was founded in the memory of Dmitry Zavadsky, Belarusian cameraman, violently kidnapped in 2000. Dmitry’s family and friend united to support independent journalists, who have to work in very difficult circumstances and daily risk their lives reporting on the real situation in the country.

The main goal of the Foundation is to continue the investigation of the Dmitry Zavadsky kidnapping and to assist Belarusian independent journalists, persecuted by the Belarusian authorities.

The Belarusian journalists must know that their families and they will not be alone if something happens. They can always get help at our Foundation.

The Foundation also intends to support young journalists by providing them training, internships and humanitarian assistance.

The Foundation Founder and President is Svetlana Zavadskaya, the widow of Dmitry Zavadsky.

Svetlana Zavadskaya started to be actively involved in human rights movement in Belarus after the disappearance of her husband. For the last years she, together with the wives of other kidnapped people, had numerous of meetings with the high level officials from all over the world. Svetlana raises the questions of violent kidnapping, human rights harassment in Belarus, freedom of speech, and harassment of independent journalists by the Belarusian authorities.

Svetlana Zavadskaya is also one of the founders of the We Remember public initiative, which unifies family and friends of public activists, kidnapped in Belarus.

“We have to do our best to help the Belarusian independent journalists and newspapers to survive”, Svetlana says. “Yes, to survive, because today the authorities do their best to shut down independent press”.

Honorary Board of the Dmitry Zavadsky Foundation

We do not list the Foundation members - Belarusian citizens due to the possibility of harassment by the Belarusian authorities.