Belarus Activist Attacked in Warsaw After Lukashenko Claim

The attacker was heard shouting allegations that echoed those of the Belarusian president, who alleged that Latushka once planned to burn alive the Belarusian opposition. Latushka also reported the attack and the death threats he has received, and said there were "warnings about planned provocations" against him.

Lukashenko's Allegation Sparks Outrage
Latushka made reference to a video Lukashenko made on 1 July in which he said Latushka had plotted with him to organise the murder of opposition supporters in 2020 so that he could become the only leader of the protest movement. Lukashenko claimed Latushka was plotting to bring opposition figures together in a building in Minsk and burn it down, saying his security forces intercepted the scheme.

In 2020 was the general director of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre in Minsk, which served as a symbol of resistance during mass protests of Lukashenko's re-election to a sixth term. After the theatre's public demands for accountability over protest crackdowns, Latushka and several staff members were dismissed.

From Minister to Exile Opposition Leader
He had served in diplomatic posts since 1995 -- including as Belarus's ambassador to Poland, France and UNESCO -- and became an opposition figure after the contested 2020 presidential election. After being interrogated by security officers that August, he had fled to Poland and started cooperating with Tsikhanouskaya's Coordination Council, and, subsequently, her Transition Cabinet.

In that year, he headed the National Anti-Crisis Management, an alternative opposition structure in the form of an initiative group supporting the peaceful transfer of power in Belarus. In 2023, Latushka was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 18 years in prison by the Belarusian authorities for purported high treason and conspiracy.

But in exile, Latushka is still an involved, vocal critic of Lukashenko's rule. The recent assault in Warsaw underscores the persistent peril for Belarusian dissidents outside the country.