Swiss Court Ruling on Enforced Disappearance of Belarusian Opposition Figure Welcomed

UN experts have welcomed a Swiss court judgment finding former Belarusian special police officer Yurii Harauski criminally responsible for the enforced disappearance of Anatol Krasouski in 1999. The Cantonal Court of St. Gallen imposed a two-year suspended prison sentence, partially overturning Harauski's 2023 acquittal. The experts described the ruling as an important step towards truth, justice and accountability for victims and their families.

Krasouski was one of three Belarusian opposition figures forcibly disappeared in 1999, alongside Yury Zakharanka and Viktar Hanchar. All three cases remain outstanding before the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, with their fate and whereabouts still unresolved. Their families have spent more than a quarter of a century seeking answers about what happened to their loved ones.

The proceedings have become a landmark test of universal jurisdiction in enforced disappearance cases, showing how national courts can address crimes committed outside their own countries. The experts said the passage of time should not place such crimes beyond the reach of justice. They stressed that courts exercising universal jurisdiction can provide an essential route to accountability when justice is unavailable in the country where the violations occurred.

Appeal Judgment Partially Overturns Earlier Acquittal

Harauski, a former member of the Belarusian special police unit SOBR, confessed to kidnapping Zakharanka in May 1999 and Hanchar and Krasouski in September that year. All three men were reportedly killed after their abduction, but their remains have not been located, exhumed and identified. The appeal judgment establishes Harauski's criminal responsibility for Krasouski's enforced disappearance, with the broader questions surrounding all three cases still unresolved.

The experts had welcomed the opening of the Swiss proceedings in 2023 because of their significance for applying universal jurisdiction to enforced disappearance. The appeal ruling partially reverses the acquittal delivered that year and imposes a suspended prison sentence for the crime involving Krasouski. For the experts, it provides an important acknowledgement of victims' rights to truth and justice after decades of uncertainty.

Universal Jurisdiction Offers a Route to Accountability

In its 2025 study on universal criminal jurisdiction in enforced disappearance cases, the Working Group described this jurisdiction as crucial to accountability for crimes under international law. It also emphasised its role in providing a response centred on victims, whose search for justice may face barriers in the country where the crimes occurred. The experts said the Swiss case demonstrates how national courts can help implement international obligations concerning enforced disappearance.

Enforced disappearance is a crime under international law and a grave violation of multiple human rights, placing victims outside the protection of the law. It also causes profound and continuing suffering for relatives who are denied reliable information about the missing person. The experts linked accountability to States' obligations under international human rights law, including the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and described it as a fundamental safeguard against recurrence.

Families Still Need Answers About the Missing Men

The Swiss judgment does not resolve the disappearances of Zakharanka, Hanchar and Krasouski or establish the full truth about their fate and whereabouts. The experts urged Belarusian authorities to investigate the cases and ensure that everyone responsible is brought to justice. Their appeal recognises that a criminal judgment is an important development in a continuing search for answers.

The experts expressed solidarity with the three families and with victims of enforced disappearance in Belarus and around the world. They stressed that the families' decades of uncertainty make the pursuit of truth and justice an ongoing obligation. Establishing what happened to the missing men and holding all those responsible accountable remain central demands following the ruling.