Belarusian Official Faces Swiss Trial for Enforced Disappearances

A former member of Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko's special security forces, Yuri Harauski, is set to face trial in Switzerland next month for the enforced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s. This landmark case could potentially lead to prosecutions of other Belarus officials, including Lukashenko himself. Harauski, who currently resides in Switzerland, has confessed to his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of Lukashenko's political opponents. The trial, scheduled for September 19-20, could establish facts that may be used to hold those who ordered the crimes accountable. This marks the first time an official during Lukashenko's rule could be convicted of crimes against regime opponents.