Warsaw Prosecutor's Office Will Not Investigate Anatol Kotau's Disappearance
The Polish Prosecutor's Office has refused to investigate the criminal case regarding the disappearance of Belarusian political activist Anatol Kotau. Piotr Skiba, spokesman for the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office, informed the publication about the refusal upon its inquiry, writes Belsat.
"The person concerned by the report is not a Polish citizen, actions against him did not take place on the territory of the Republic of Poland, and there are no grounds to assert that Polish citizens could be involved in the possible commission of a crime," the response to journalists states.
Turkey handed over materials to Poland regarding Kotau's movements. According to them, when passing border control in Istanbul, the activist used a Belarusian passport, not the "Geneva passport" issued to him by Poland when granting him international protection status.
A source close to the investigation claims that the key version of Kotau's disappearance considered by Polish investigators was his possible intelligence activity, cooperation with intelligence services, and an attempt to gain access to Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Chairman of the National Anti-Crisis Management. Later, Kotau was allegedly removed from the operation to prevent disclosure.
According to the BRC, this version should be treated critically, as the Polish prosecutor's office did not conduct a full investigation, and investigators have data indicating that the disappearance was not a voluntary decision by the activist.
Pavel Latushka commented on the situation with Kotau: "All these years he tried to establish contact with elite representatives in Minsk and solve the Belarusian problem through them. <…>. Several times, thanks to him, I communicated with former Prime Ministers of Belarus. I think he managed to delve deeply into the matter, and he fell into a trap set by the special services."
On August 21, 2025, Anatol Kotau flew from Warsaw to Istanbul. From there, he reached the port city of Trabzon, boarded a yacht, and disappeared.
The Belarusian Investigative Center, together with Deutsche Welle and OCCRP, with the help of the "Workers' Movement" initiative and the support of "Cyberpartisans," conducted an investigation into Anatol Kotau's disappearance. The results were published on June 18.
Anatol Kotau, according to investigators, disappeared as a result of a planned operation and fell into the hands of Russia's Federal Security Service.
On the morning of August 22, according to a BRC source, the yacht first approached the shore in the vicinity of Sukhumi, and then the Russians ordered it to return — to the port of Ochamchira, also in Abkhazia, but near a Russian FSB border guard post. While Kotau slept in his cabin, the captain called the port to get permission to moor; he was told to wait at sea for a transfer ship. Instead, a Russian military coast guard vessel approached the yacht. The coast guard was called by the Russian passengers of the yacht — they claimed that during the night Anatol Kotau allegedly got drunk, attacked them, and beat them (Kotau's acquaintances describe him as not prone to violence).
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