Belarus official faces appeal against acquittal over forced disappearances in Swiss court

A former Belarusian security official is due in a Swiss court on Tuesday as an appeal begins against his acquittal on charges of participating in the forced disappearance of opposition figures in Belarus. A Swiss court acquitted Yuri Harauski in 2023 of involvement in the 1999 disappearance of three men while working in the special police unit SOBR under President Alexander Lukashenko. The case, brought by daughters of two of the disappeared, was the first time a Swiss court ruled on alleged crimes committed in Belarus under the principle of universal jurisdiction. The appeal is taking place