Swiss Court Reviews Appeal of Former Belarus Officer Acquitted of Forced Disappearances

Yuri Harauski, a former member of Belarus’s special police unit SOBR, is scheduled to appear before a St. Gallen cantonal court as prosecutors launch an appeal against his 2023 acquittal. The original trial, initiated by the daughters of two of the disappeared men, was the first instance of a Swiss court applying universal jurisdiction to alleged crimes committed in Belarus. Harauski, who arrived in Switzerland as an asylum seeker, admitted to detaining former interior minister Yuri Zakharenko, ex-deputy prime minister Viktor Gonchar and businessman Anatoly Krosovsky, but denied ordering their murders.

The court had dismissed the charges due to contradictory statements and the absence of the Belarusian government in the proceedings. Human-rights organisations such as Viasna, Trial International and the International Federation for Human Rights are backing the appeal, emphasizing its significance for documenting the regime’s abuses. A conviction could carry a maximum sentence of 20 years, the highest fixed term under Swiss law. The case underscores ongoing international efforts to hold Belarusian officials accountable for past repression.