Council of Europe

Rule Changes

Investigated the disappearances in 2004

A Swiss court convicted Yuri Harauski on October 26 of the enforced disappearance of Belarusian businessman Anatol Krasousky, abducted in 1999 and later killed. The former SOBR special forces officer received a two-year suspended sentence and was acquitted in two other cases.

Updated Oct 27

Rule Changes

As of September 2026: Parent body of GRECO; confirmed the U.S. exit

The United States has formally withdrawn from the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Council of Europe's anti-corruption watchdog. It is only the third country to leave the group since its founding in 1999, after Russia and Belarus.

Updated Sep 30

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Created the legal framework for the tribunal

For the first time since Nuremberg, a tribunal exists to prosecute heads of state for the crime of aggression. Thirty-six countries and the European Union signed the founding agreement on May 15 in Chisinau, Moldova.

Updated May 20