Belarusian court to try four exiles accused of assaulting diplomats in London

July 26, BPN. A special procedure case against four men suspected of battery against diplomats outside the Belarusian embassy in London in December 2021 has been referred to court, the Belarusian Prosecutor General’s Office has said.

The foreign-based Vadzim Bahaŭkoŭ, Maksim Zujeŭ, Alaksandar Naprejenka and Siarhiej Rabuška are suspected of incitement to hatred, criminal damage and violence against officials.

Authorities have frozen their assets in Belarus, worth about $30,000, the prosecutors said.

Intoxicated and driven by political enmity, the accused set up an “insulting” object outside the embassy and threw eggs at the facade, the prosecutors said. They also battered Belarusian diplomats who arrived at the scene. One of them was later diagnosed with a mild concussion, nasal fracture and chipped tooth, according to earlier reports from the foreign ministry.

The ministry summoned the UK’s charge d’affaires to protest against the incident and demand that it be thoroughly investigated.

The Belarusian government uses the special procedure to prosecute its exiled opponents.