March 14, Pozirk. Belarusians fleeing politically-motivated persecution at home do not feel safe even in democratic and free countries, Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja told Lithuania’s BNS.
The recent assault on Russian regime critic Leonid Volkov in Vilnius raises many questions, reminding everyone that exiled opposition activists are dealing with criminal regimes that ignore international law and are ready to do anything to eliminate their opponents, lrt.lt reported, citing her as saying.
Many Belarusian activists have already noticed that they are being followed on the streets in Lithuania and Poland and photographed by strangers, while some receive anonymous threats, the politician added.
The opposition is counting on assistance from the democratic countries in minimizing risks for Belarusians and exposing Belarusian and Russian regimes’ agents as attacks on activists are designed to intimidate them and paralyze the work of democratic structures abroad, she noted.
On March 12, an unidentified person attacked Volkov with a hammer in Vilnius. Lithuanian authorities are investigating the incident.
Volkov is a close associate of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny who died on February 16 in an Arctic penal colony. Russian state-run media attributed his death to a blood clot.
