Belarus Prosecutor General Dzmitry Hara has sent to the Supreme Court a criminal case on charges of genocide of the Belarusian people under Article 127 of the Criminal Code against Antanas Getsiavicius, a native of the village of Jokuliai in Klaipėda County, who headed one of the platoons of the first company of the 12th Security Battalion.
“According to the case materials, on the territory of Minsk and Minsk Region, Getsiavicius unlawfully deprived at least 6,012 people of their lives by means of shootings with small arms, hanging and burial alive, including 31 knowingly underage children, as well as persons in a helpless condition and knowingly elderly individuals,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a press release.
This is already the seventh genocide case involving charges against deceased individuals. Previously, verdicts in similar cases were handed down against the deceased Vladimir Katryuk, Konstantin Smovsky, Semyon Serafimovich, Osip Vinnitsky and Alexander Yermolchik. In late January, judicial proceedings began in the Supreme Court in a criminal case against Hans Siegling, who had been part of the SS and security police.
