{"id":156526,"date":"2025-09-22T12:27:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T09:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/156526\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"poland-refuses-to-investigate-disappearance-of-exiled-belarusian-activist","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/156526\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland refuses to investigate disappearance of exiled Belarusian activist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (belinstitute.com)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

September 22, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Polish police and prosecutors have declined to open an investigation into the disappearance of Anatol Kota\u016d, a member of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund (BSSF), the organization\u2019s head Alaksandar Apejkin wrote on Facebook yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Kota\u016d had been granted asylum in Poland, this status was deemed insufficient grounds for Polish authorities to investigate a foreigner\u2019s disappearance outside the country. Formally, he remains \u201cunder the jurisdiction and consular protection of the Republic of Belarus,\u201d Apejkin noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kota\u016d has been missing since August 21, after arriving in Turkey. The same evening, he reportedly left the country on a private yacht that departed from the Black Sea port of Trabzon for Sochi, DW<\/em> reported, citing a Trabzon police source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His wife, Anastasija Pilip\u010dyk, reported his disappearance to Polish prosecutors on August 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BSSF has urged the international sports community and human rights organizations to draw attention to the activist\u2019s disappearance, describing Kota\u016d as a \u201clong-standing advocate for the rights of Belarusian athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former Belarusian diplomat and official in Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s administration, Kota\u016d left government service in 2020 and sided with the post-election protest movement in Belarus. He later joined the BSSF and emigrated to Poland, fearing politically motivated persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 years in prison in Belarus on extremism-related charges \u2014 a label Minsk routinely uses against opponents in exile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in 2025, another prominent Belarusian opposition figure, An\u017ealika Mielnikava, also disappeared after leaving the European Union. Her whereabouts remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missing activist\u2019s wife alerts Polish prosecutors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

September 22, Pozirk. Polish police and prosecutors have declined to open an investigation into the disappearance of Anatol Kota\u016d, a member of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Fund (BSSF), the organization\u2019s head Alaksandar Apejkin wrote on Facebook yesterday. Although Kota\u016d had been granted asylum in Poland, this status was deemed insufficient grounds for Polish authorities to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":152441,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-156526","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPoland refuses to investigate disappearance of exiled Belarusian activist | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"September 22, Pozirk. Polish police and prosecutors have declined to open an investigation into the disappearance of Anatol Kota\u016d, a member of the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/156526\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poland refuses to investigate disappearance of exiled Belarusian activist | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"September 22, Pozirk. 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