Lera Krasouskaia: I Hope That Rest Of Those Involved Will Start Talking
- 21.09.2023, 12:08
The daughter of the missing businessman commented on the trial of Garavski.
In Switzerland, a trial was held of former death squad member Yuri Garavsky, who, having asked for asylum in Switzerland, admitted to involvement in the kidnapping and murder of opposition politicians in the late 1990s - former Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Zakharenka, Chairman of the Central Election Commission Viktar Hanchar and businessman Anatol Krasouski.
Lera Krasouskaia, the daughter of murdered businessman Anatol Krasouski, participated in the Liberty Premium YouTube show. She spent two days in the courtroom with a man who admitted involvement in the murder of her father.
– The verdict will be delivered next week. The Prosecutor's Office demands a three-year prison sentence for Yury Harauski, two of which will be suspended. Does such a sentence seem fair and proportionate to you?
– I'm not a lawyer. The length of the sentence is a task for the judge. For me personally, it doesn’t make much difference whether the sentence is three years or thirty years. It won't change anything for me. The trial is a very important event for me since this is the first official trial, of only one person so far, the one who was involved in the kidnapping and murder of my father.
If the judge decides that Yuri Harauski is guilty, it will literally mean that he told the truth, and that everything happened as he said. For me personally, this means that I can put an end to it: on September 16, 24 years ago, exactly what Harauski is talking about happened. Finally, there will be some certainty about what happened. All these years it was as if she had not existed.
– In his last words, Yury Harauski asked for forgiveness from the loved ones and relatives of the victims and also said that if the court makes a harsh decision, no one else in the world will report crimes to the authorities. Do you agree with him?
– He formulated it in such a way that if he receives a very harsh punishment, then no one will tell anything else. He spoke about repentance as follows: “I ask for forgiveness from the relatives, counting on a lenient punishment. Literally this. I don't understand how to interpret this request to forgive. Was it personal or was it because he was counting on a more lenient punishment? It's hard to guess what's in another person's head. Firstly, it was very hard to hear him. Secondly, he was sitting with his back to everyone. I didn't see his face.
– How did you feel in the court?
– I concentrated on the facts, I wanted to remember well and write down what was important to me. This was my focus. I didn't feel any anger or anything like that. I tried to be in the process, of listening carefully to everything.
– Have you talked to Harauski? What would you say to him?
– I don’t want this, I don’t know what to tell him. It seems to me that he said everything he wanted to say. I have no urgent need for a personal conversation.
– What are the chances after this trial that all those responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Krasouski, Zakharenka, Hanchar and Zavadski will be in the dock?
– I don't know. I hope that after this trial, others involved in forced disappearances will tell their part of the story.