July 2, Pozirk. Police in Warsaw have arrested a Belarusian national over an attack on opposition politician Pavieł Łatuška during a conference at the University of Warsaw.
“The attacker threw a bin at me and shouted, so that the entire audience could hear, that I was a ‘traitor who wanted to burn the opposition,’ thus repeating [Alaksandar] Łukašenka’s false claim from yesterday. . . In recent days, I have received warnings of planned provocations against me and life threats, including this morning,” Łatuška said.
He stressed that the incident will not have any effect on his political activities.
Reform.news identified the attacker as Jaŭhien Kazancaŭ, a historian by training. He is in Poland under the program for young scientists Szkoła Europejska w Warszawie.
The man said that he attacked the politician because his visa had expired. According to Kazancaŭ, he “burned out and failed to defend a thesis.” He said he hoped that the attack would allow him to return to Belarus safely without being arrested.
On July 1, at a grand rally ahead of Independence Day, Łukašenka claimed that Łatuška wanted to assemble opposition leaders in one house and set it on fire in 2020 to become “the only leader of this stinky opposition.” Łatuška denied that claim.
The Belarusian ruler made similar allegations during postelection protests in 2020.
