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Belarusian Opposition Activist Suspected Of Taking Part In Military Conflict In Ukraine


Belarusian oppositionist Eduard Lobau is reportedly currently in Ukraine. (file photo)
Belarusian oppositionist Eduard Lobau is reportedly currently in Ukraine. (file photo)

MINSK -- Belarus authorities are seeking a prominent pro-democracy activist for allegedly taking part in hostilities in eastern Ukraine where pro-Russia separatists have been battling Ukrainian government forces.

The mother of Eduard Lobau told RFE/RL's Belarus Service that her apartment in the capital of Minsk had been searched by police on March 31.

Maryna Lobava said the search warrant was connected to the probe into her son who is an activist of the unregistered opposition Young Front organization in Belarus.

Lobava said police confiscated two laptops, a PC processor, several memory cards, and a book.

It is unclear which side Lobau may have been fighting for, although he is known for his strong pro-Ukranian stance.

Lobau, who is reportedly now in Ukraine, spent four years in jail in 2010-2014 after a court found him guilty of assaulting two people.

He claimed then that his imprisonment was an attempt by the authorities to isolate him on the eve of the disputed reelection in 2010 of Alyaksandr Lukashenka as president that ended with demonstrations and the mass arrests of activists.

At the time, Amnesty International recognized Lobau as a "prisoner of conscience."

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