Charter 97 (a declaration calling for democracy in Belarus) was founded by Aleh Byabenin, a Belarus journalist and campaign press secretary of Andrei Sannikov, whose alleged suicide was questioned by friends despite the Belarusian government's assertion to the contrary.
Charter 97 (Belarusian: '97; Russian: '97) is a declaration calling for democracy in Belarus and a pro-human rights news site taking its inspiration from the declaration. Aleh Byabenin (Belarusian:  ; Russian:   Oleg Bebenin) (c. 1974  September 3, 2010), a Belarusian journalist, was known for his involvement in Charter 97 in Minsk, Belarus. He was the co-founder, director, and journalist for the political opposition news website Charter 97. He was also the campaign press secretary and friend of Andrei Sannikov, who was the former deputy foreign minister and also one of the opposition candidates in the presidential election that took place in 2010. Byabenin's friends and family strongly reject this, saying there was not suicide note and he had no reason to commit suicide. Before his death, Aleh Byabenin's strong reporting towards the government had made him into a target, such as being abducted in 1997 and subjected to a mock execution and he was attacked in 1999 by right-wing activists. The official autopsy does not include these findings. 
