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Six months after disappearance, opposition activist Kotaŭ still missing
February 21, Pozirk. Six months have passed since the disappearance of Belarusian opposition activist Anatol Kotaŭ, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Kotaŭ, who lived in Poland, disappeared after landing in Turkey on August 21. He reportedly left the country that same evening aboard a private yacht that departed from the Black Sea port of Trabzon for Russia’s Sochi, DW reported, citing a source in the Trabzon police.
His wife fears that he may be held by the Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB).
A former Belarusian diplomat and official in Łukašenka’s administration, Kotaŭ left government service in 2020 and supported the post-election protests in Belarus. He later joined the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund (BSSF) and emigrated to Poland, fearing politically motivated persecution.
Last year, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison in Belarus on extremism-related charges — a label Minsk frequently uses to punish opponents in exile.
In March last year, another high-profile Belarusian opposition figure, Anžalika Mielnikava, also disappeared after leaving the European Union. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
Missing activist's wife hopes Washington may help find her husband
November 19, Pozirk. Anastasija Pilipčyk, the wife of opposition activist Anatol Kotaŭ, missing since August 21, has expressed hope that her husband will be found as part of Minsk's deal with Washington, Reuters reports. Kotaŭ, who lived in Poland, disappeared …
