Юрий Гаравский. Скриншот видео DW
Human rights organizations FIDH, TRIAL International and the Viasna Human Rights Centre have issued a joint statement following the conviction of former SOBR officer Yuri Harauski.
The Cantonal Court of St. Gallen overturned the 2023 acquittal on appeal and found Harauski guilty of the enforced disappearance of businessman Anatoly Krasouski in 1999, sentencing him to a two-year suspended prison term. Harauski was acquitted in the cases involving the disappearances of Yury Zakharanka and Viktar Hanchar.
“Today’s conviction marks the first case in which a member of Belarusian security forces has been convicted abroad of crimes committed in the context of repression by Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s regime, and the first case in the world in which a court has ruled on crimes committed in Belarus under the principle of universal jurisdiction. It is also the first case in which the crime of enforced disappearance has been examined by a Swiss court,” the human rights organizations said.
Valeriya Krasouskaya, the daughter of Anatol Krasouski, said the conviction had brought her relief.
“After 27 years, at least one of the many people involved in the abduction and murder of my father has officially been found guilty,” she said.
Philip Grant, executive director of TRIAL International, said the conviction had set a precedent, demonstrating that accountability for state crimes in Belarus was possible.
“The conviction of Yury Harauski for his involvement in the enforced disappearance of Anatoly Krasouski in Belarus is, above all, a victory for his family, which has finally obtained justice after years of effort. We are grateful to the Swiss justice system for demonstrating that advances in international justice based on the principle of universal jurisdiction can make such victories possible,” said FIDH President Alexis Deswaef.
Valiantsin Stefanovic of the Viasna Human Rights Centre described the verdict as the first concrete step towards investigating the politically motivated disappearances of opposition figures in Belarus in 1999.
“For the entire Belarusian human rights community, this is a very important day — the day when the first significant step was taken towards establishing the truth and restoring justice,” Stefanovic said.