Verdict Against Former Death Squad Member In Switzerland

The court delivered an unexpected verdict.

Today in St. Gallen, Switzerland, the verdict was announced for former SOBR special police officer Yury Harauski. He was unexpectedly acquitted in the case of the disappearance of opposition politicians in 1999, although the prosecutor asked for 3 years in prison for him.

Yury Harauski said that he understood the verdict.

The civil lawsuit of Alena Zakharanka and Valeryia Krasouskai for 200,000 francs will be forwarded to a civil court. Legal costs amounting to almost 45,0000 francs will be covered by the state.

Explaining the verdict, the judge said that this was a special case in which “the authorities are involved and are responsible for forced disappearances.” “These facts should not give rise to doubt. But during interrogation, the accused became entangled in contradictions and avoided answering,” the judge explained the decision.

The judge believed that Harauski had invented some of the testimony. The court concluded that Yury Harauski may have served in the SOBR special police, but his role in the disappearances remains unclear.

“Perhaps he heard about this from his colleagues,” a DW correspondent reports the judge’s words.

Harauski was tried under universal jurisdiction in Switzerland.

The former special forces officer was accused of kidnapping former Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus Yury Zakharanka, former Chairman of the Central Election Commission Viktar Hanchar and businessman Anatol Krasouski.

Swiss legislation did not allow Harauski to be prosecuted under a more serious criminal charge - for murder or complicity in it, since possible reprisals against opponents of the regime took place on the territory of Belarus. Therefore, the former law enforcer was tried for involvement in “numerous disappearances”.