Swiss court convicts ex-Belarus security officer over opponent's disappearance

Key facts

• Yuri Harauski was convicted of the abduction of Anatoly Krasovsky.
• Harauski was acquitted of the kidnapping of Yuri Zakharenko.
• Harauski faces a two-year suspended sentence in Switzerland.
• The conviction is considered the first of a Belarusian security force member globally.
• The court found Harauski's confessions credible in the Krasovsky case.

A Swiss court on Monday found Yuri Harauski, a former Belarusian security officer, guilty of the abduction of Anatoly Krasovsky, an opponent of President Alexander Lukashenko. Harauski admitted involvement in the abductions of three of Lukashenko's opponents who were later killed. He was acquitted, however, of the kidnapping of former Belarusian Interior Minister Yuri Zakharenko. The court reduced Harauski's sentence to two years on probation due to his cooperation and confession. Rights groups hailed the ruling as the first conviction globally of a member of Belarus' security forces. The case utilized the principle of universal jurisdiction, marking the first time Swiss courts have tried charges of enforced disappearance or alleged crimes committed in Belarus.