A former member of Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko’s special security forces is to face trial in Switzerland next month for the forced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s.
FILE - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko listens, during his meeting with foreign correspondents, in Minsk, Belarus, on July 6, 2023. A former member of Lukashenkos special security forces is set to face trial in Switzerland next month for the forced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s, according to human rights and victims advocacy groups Wednesday Aug. 30, 2023.
An extract of the court filing, obtained by The Associated Press, indicated that prosecutors planned to seek a three-year prison sentence — of which two would be suspended — against Harauski for his alleged role in the disappearances. “For the first time, a member of Lukashenko’s murder squad stands trial for involvement in the enforced disappearances of political opponents," Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told the AP."This groundbreaking case delivers a powerful message to the Belarus regime: no one will escape justice.”
Harauski will be tried over the enforced disappearances of Yuri Zakharenko, a former interior minister who was fired by Lukashenko in 1996; opposition leader Viktor Gonchar, and publisher Anatoly Krasovsky, the advocacy groups said in a statement. The Belarus Ministry of Internal Affairs declined to answer questions about the case. Contacted by email, lawyer Vy Huynh, who was cited in court documents as representing Harauski, declined to comment on “ongoing criminal proceedings.”
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