June 17, Pozirk. Polish authorities have released two Belarusians arrested yesterday in connection with the murder of Russian anti-Kremlin caricature artist Robert Kuzovkov, known as Semyon Skrepetski, after finding no evidence linking them to the crime, portalsamorzadowy.pl reports.
The outlet cited Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor’s office in Lublin.
“Their connection to this incident, which was the subject of intensive investigation, has been ruled out. It turned out they had no involvement in the case. After being questioned as witnesses, they were released and are no longer in custody,” Kozak said.
Skrepetski, 44, was shot dead near his house two days ago in Biała Podlaska. An unidentified man approached him and fired two shots using a short-barreled firearm, the prosecutor’s office said. When the victim fell to the ground, the perpetrator came closer and fired three more shots before quickly leaving the scene, the report added. The man died at the scene with seven gunshot wounds on his body.
Skrepetski was a political cartoonist known for his biting caricatures of the regimes in Russia and Belarus, especially of Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov. Some of his drawings mocked the political system in Belarus, including its ruler Alaksandar Łukašenka.
