[2] 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.

[9] 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.

[14] Shortly before his death, Byabenin joined the campaign team of friend and presidential candidate, Andrei Sannikov, who was running against Alexander Lukashenko in the 2010 elections in Belarus.

[10] Belarus' authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, of whom Aleh Byabenin has always been a harsh critic, has stripped the country of almost all non-state press and limited internet media.

No suicide note was found, and Aleh just hours before his death had made phone calls to arrange a trip to the cinema with close friends.

In recent months he had become increasingly concerned over the safety of fellow human rights activists and feared a return of the atmosphere of 1997–1999, when many dissidents disappeared in suspicious circumstances, and Aleh himself was nearly killed.

[10] Souhayr Belhassen, president of the International Federation of Human Rights, said: "The fact that Mr. Byabenin had repeatedly been subjected to pressure and intimidation in the previous years for his activities as an independent journalist is indeed particularly worrying.

"[9] Mike Harris, public affairs manager for Index on Censorship, who was in Belarus at this time, said, "The Presidential election must take place before February next year.