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Ukrainian Opposition Activist Beaten At Campaign Event


Banner celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) Party
Banner celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) Party
KHARKIV, Ukraine -- The Ukrainian opposition party Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) says an elderly woman campaigning for it was beaten by two masked men in the eastern city of Kharkiv on October 19, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports.

A Batkivshchyna spokesperson in Kharkiv told RFE/RL the incident took place near a tent pitched by the party to support the Batkivshchyna candidate for the mayoral election scheduled for October 31.

It said two men started assaulting a young female campaign worker. When the older woman tried to intervene, one of the men hit her in the face. The elderly woman, 68, lost consciousness and was hospitalized with a broken jaw and high blood pressure.

The Kharkiv Oblast Interior Ministry told RFE/RL an investigation into the beating has been opened.

It was the second attack on a Batkivshchyna campaigner in Kharkiv in the last 10 days. On October 11, a party supporter was beaten by unknown persons. Local police did not investigate.

The Batkivshchyna party is led by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
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