Swiss court acquits former Belarusian security operative in case of enforced disappearances

By JAMEY KEATEN
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — A court in northern Switzerland has acquitted a former Belarusian security operative over the enforced disappearances of three of President Aleksander Lukashenko’s political opponents in the late 1990s. Judges in the northern town of Rorschach said they were not convinced that the defendant, Yuri Harauski, was involved in the disappearances. The court did acknowledge a role of Lukashenko’s administration in the disappearances. That’s according to a statement from the Geneva-based advocacy group TRIAL International. Activists have said the two-day trial last week marked a pivotal moment in international justice that could trigger prosecutions abroad of other Belarusian officials — including Lukashenko.