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Former Belarusian Security Officer To Face Trial In Switzerland Over Abductions Of Politicians


Former Belarusian security officer Yury Harauski (file photo)
Former Belarusian security officer Yury Harauski (file photo)

Yury Harauski, a former member of Belarusian authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s special security forces, is set to face trial on September 19 in a Swiss court for allegedly participating in the abduction of Belarusian politicians in the late 1990s. In 2019, Harauski publicly declared his involvement in the unit that orchestrated disappearances of opposition politicians. Harauski claims he didn't participate in any killings. Lukashenka denied any official role in the disappearances. Harauski in 2018 applied for asylum in Switzerland, settling in St. Gallen, where the trial is set to be held. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, click here.

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