Belarusian journalist dies in car-bomb attack in Kiev

Wellknown journalist Pavel Sheremet died on Wednesday when his car exploded in the center of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, Ukrainska Pravda digital newspaper reported.

The explosion took place at about 07:45am (04:45 GMT) at the intersection of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and Ivan Franko streets, minutes after the journalist left his home.

Sheremet, 44, born in Minsk, was a famous journalist with a distinguished career in Belarus and Russia, and had been based in Kiev for five years.

The car, in which Sheremet moved, belongs to the director of Ukrainska Pravda, Yelena Pritule, who was not in the vehicle at the time of the explosion. So far, police have not presented any version of the possible causes of the explosion.

Sheremet started his career in the early 90s in Belarusian television and in 1996 was named chief correspondent of Russian Public Television in Minsk.

Sheremet, who was a staunch critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was arrested in 1997 while preparing a report on the situation in the BelarusianLithuanian border, accused of illegal journalistic work and receiving money from foreign secret services.

Sheremet was then sentenced to two years in prison by the Belarusian Justice, but was released after three months thanks to pressure from Russia.