«He was seen near Barcelona». What is known about the search for a Belarusian who went missing in Spain

Hennadz Smalyak's disappearance became known at the end of June. His mother and ex-wife raised the alarm then. It turned out that the man had not appeared at the house where he lived with other people for a long time. He was last seen by acquaintances in the park of Sabadell, near Barcelona, on June 19.

Hennadz's ex-wife, friend, and colleague Marta* (we do not disclose the surname at the request of the interlocutor. — RS) then shared with Svaboda the main version of his disappearance — the man stopped taking his necessary medication, doesn't understand where he is, and likely got lost during a walk.

According to his friend, Smalyak had been in a bad emotional state for the last month, did not contact anyone, barely spoke to his neighbors, hardly left his room or the house, "ate, slept, smoked cigarettes." A similar situation had already occurred this spring, but back then Hennadz did not leave home.

Now Marta told Svaboda the latest news: Hennadz was seen near Barcelona, close to his former place of residence, on July 6. He is walking the streets, but in a worsened mental state, not realizing what is happening. Acquaintances tried to stop him, but Hennadz wouldn't let them near him and left.

«They called the police, but the police did not detain him. And now he, poor man, is wandering somewhere in Barcelona again,» Hennadz's friend notes.

According to Marta, Hennadz now needs hospital treatment. However, in her opinion, it is quite difficult to do this forcibly in Spain unless the person has previously caused harm to themselves or others. The missing man's friend believes that his current condition is dangerous enough for Hennadz himself. She draws a comparison with Poland, where in a similar situation, police and ambulance are called, and the person is forcibly admitted to a hospital. Friends are now thinking about how to help Hennadz, as he is likely suffering greatly from his condition.

Police report

It was difficult to file a report on the disappearance of the Belarusian with the Catalan police, and it wasn't successful on the first attempt, as such reports are only accepted from relatives. Smalyak has no blood relatives in Spain, and they cannot get visas and come yet.

The police suggested that relatives file a report about the person's disappearance with the Belarusian police — then colleagues would search for him within the framework of international cooperation. However, close ones believe this is a bad option, as Smalyak faces political persecution in Belarus for his public and journalistic activities.

Павялічыць

Who is Hennadz Smalyak

Hennadz is 36 years old. In Belarus, he helped homeless people restore documents, relocate to villages, and was involved in the "Food Not Bombs" project, where volunteers fed the homeless.

Smalyak also worked as a nursing assistant at Psychiatric and Neurological Boarding Home No. 3 in Minsk. Additionally, he volunteered there, organized musical performances for residents of the boarding home, and conducted art therapy. As Hennadz himself previously told Most Media, he introduced things that had not existed in the institution before: city outings, excursions, free access to water, televisions in wards, the opportunity for volunteers to visit these people. When, in his words, «people started coming alive,» the new head of the boarding home canceled the innovations, and Smalyak resigned with a scandal.

After leaving Belarus, Hennadz lived in Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Spain. Abroad, he worked as a journalist for various publications, including being involved in the media project Not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow.

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