August 27, Pozirk. Anatol Kotaŭ of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund (BSSF), who stopped replying to calls and messages on August 21 after leaving Warsaw for Istanbul, has been reported missing in Turkey, the BSSF says.
The group called on the international sports community and human rights organizations to pay attention to the disappearance of the activist, described as a “long-standing advocate for the rights of Belarusian athletes.”
Kotaŭ is also known as a member of the ethics committee at the World DanceSport Federation and a contributor to the US-based Athletes for Freedom Foundation’s working group.
“In recent years, Kotaŭ has been at the forefront of defending the rights of Belarusian athletes, openly opposing the [Alaksandar] Łukašenka regime and its repressive practices,” the BSSF noted.
His disappearance is “a matter of grave concern not only for Belarusian society, but for the global sports and human rights community,” the group stressed.
A former Belarusian diplomat and Łukašenka’s administration official, Kotaŭ left government service in 2020 and supported the postelection protests in Belarus. Later, he joined the BSSF and emigrated to Poland, fearing politically-motivated persecution.
One year ago, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in Belarus without being present at the trial on extremism-related charges that Minsk often uses to punish exiled opponents.
Earlier this year, another high-profile Belarusian opposition politician, Anžalika Mielnikava, disappeared after leaving the European Union. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
