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Swiss court acquits Belarusian 'death squad' member on kidnapping charges

FILE - Yuri Harauski is pictured outside the court of St. Gallen, Switzerland, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. A court in northern Switzerland on Thursday acquitted a former security operative under Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko over the enforced disappearances of three of his political opponents in the late 1990s, said an advocacy group that spearheaded the case. The judges said they were not convinced that the defendant, Yuri Harauski, a former member of a military unit known as SOBR, was involved in the disappearances, the Geneva-based advocacy group TRIAL International said in a statement. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP, File)
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia September 15, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
Yury Garavsky smoking outside
Garavsky arrives in court during the two-day hearings held in September

Overview

  • Yury Garavsky admitted to being part of a group that kidnapped opponents of Belarusian President Lukashenko in 1999.
  • A Swiss court found Garavsky not guilty of enforced disappearance and perverting justice, saying his precise role was unclear.
  • Garavsky had previously told media he followed orders but denied killing anyone.
  • Human rights groups brought the charges and vow to keep pursuing justice for the victims and families.
  • The incidents happened in 1999 but the court case concluded on September 28, 2023.