Anatol Krasouski
{{Short description|Belarusian businessman, politician and pro-democracy activist (1952–1999)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Anatol Krasouski
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Anatol Sciapanavič Krasouski
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1952|5|12|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Krupki, Minsk Region, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
| disappeared_date = {{Disappeared date and age|1999|9|16|1952|5|12|df=yes}}
| disappeared_place = Minsk, Belarus
| disappeared_status = {{Missing for|1999|9|16|df=yes}}
| education =
| height =
| relatives =
}}
Anatol Sciapanavič Krasouski ({{langx|be|Анатоль Сцяпанавіч Красоўскі}}, {{langx|ru|link=no|Анатолий Степанович Красовский}}, 12 May 1952 – disappeared 16 September 1999) was a Belarusian businessman, teacher, and opposition politician. Alongside his friend Viktar Hanchar, he disappeared and was presumably murdered in 1999.
Career
Krasouski was the publisher of several newspapers.{{cite web | url = https://wyborcza.pl/10,82983,25526491,szwadrony-smierci-zabijaly-opozycjonistow-w-bialorusi-to.html | title = Szwadrony śmierci zabijały opozycjonistów w Białorusi. "To przełom, ulica zaczęła o tym mówić" | last = Iwaniuk | first = Igor | date = 2019-12-18 | publisher = wyborcza.pl | accessdate = 2021-08-08}} Alongside Hanchar, he publicly criticized Alexander Lukashenko for falsifying the results of the 1996 referendum, which expanded the president's powers.{{cite web | url = https://wyborcza.pl/7,75399,25522693,porwania-i-zabojstwa-przeciwnikow-lukaszenki-spowiedz-bylego.html | title = Jak "znikano" przeciwników Łukaszenki. Spowiedź byłego oficera białoruskiego specnazu | last = Andrusieczko | first = Piotr | date = 2019-12-18 | publisher = wyborcza.pl | accessdate = 2021-08-08}}
Disappearance
Krasouski disappeared in Minsk on 16 September 1999, along Hanchar. Pieces of broken glass and blood were found on the supposed site where Hanchar and Krasouski had been last seen. On 5 December 2002, they were officially declared missing by the court. In January 2003, the Chief Prosecutor of Minsk suspended the criminal investigation into the disappearance of Hanchar and Krasouski.
According to the former head of jail number 1 Oleg Alkaev (Aleh Alkaeu), Hanchar and Krasouski were abducted and executed on the order of people close to President Lukashenko.{{cite web|url=http://charter97.org/rus/news/2003/01/21/nv|title=Олег Алкаев: существует видеозапись убийств Захаренко, Гончара и Красовского|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213014141/http://charter97.org/rus/news/2003/01/21/nv |archive-date=13 December 2009 }} Investigation of the disappearance of Hanchar and Krasouski is one of the main issues of the Belarusian opposition, and is also mentioned in the documents of international organizations.
In September 2004, the European Union and the United States issued travel bans for four Belarusian officials suspected of being involved in the kidnapping of Hanchar: Interior Affairs Minister Vladimir V. Naumov, Prosecutor General Viktor Sheiman, Minister for Sports and Tourism Yuri Sivakov, and Colonel Dmitri Pavlichenko from the Belarus Interior Ministry.{{cite news|url=http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/28-09-2004/7115-nongrata-0/ |title=USA, EU declare Belarus officials personas non grata|publisher=Pravda |date=28 September 2008 |access-date=3 March 2015}}
For several years the Belarusian opposition has organized the Day of Solidarity with Belarus on the 16th of every month to commemorate the disappearance of Hanchar, Krasouski, Jury Zacharanka, Dzmitry Zavadski, and the mysterious death of Hienadz Karpienka.{{Cite web|url=https://charter97.org/ru/news/2008/9/16/10161/|title=День солидарности: 9 лет назад исчезли Виктор Гончар и Анатолий Красовский|website=charter97.org|access-date=2018-01-03}}
In December 2019, Deutsche Welle published a documentary film in which Yury Harauski, a former member of the Special Rapid Response Unit, confirmed that it was his unit that had arrested, taken away and murdered pro-democracy activist Yury Zakharanka, and that they later did the same with Viktar Hanchar and Anatol Krasouski.{{cite web |title=Belarus: How death squads targeted opposition politicians |url=https://www.dw.com/en/belarus-how-death-squads-targeted-opposition-politicians/a-51685204 |website=Deutsche Welle |access-date=25 November 2020 |date=16 December 2019}} Harauski fled to Switzerland in 2018, seeking asylum. In 2023 Harauski was arrested and charged with the forced disappearance of Zacharanka, Hanchar and Krasouski. Harauski's trial in a Swiss court opened on 19 September 2023.{{cite web |title=Former Belarus 'hit squad' member to stand trial in Switzerland|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66848265|website=BBC News|access-date=19 September 2023 |date=19 September 2023}}
{{cite web |title=Belarus ex-police stands trial over vanished Lukashenko opponents|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230919-belarus-ex-police-stands-trial-over-vanished-lukashenko-opponents|website=France24|access-date=19 September 2023 |date=19 September 2023}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://charter97.org/en/news/2009/9/16/22003/ Kidnapping of Hanchar and Krasouski: authorities have something to hide]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krasouski, Anatol}}
Category:1990s missing person cases
Category:Belarusian publishers (people)
Category:20th-century Belarusian politicians