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Latvian candidate for European Parliament seeks asylum in Belarus: reports

28.06.2024 01:00
Olga Čerņavska, a 41-year-old Latvian accountant who ran in the European Parliament elections but failed to secure a seat, has applied for political asylum in Belarus, according to reports.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.PAP/EPA/MIKHAIL METZEL / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL

After her electoral defeat, Čerņavska appeared on Belarusian state television and accused her native Latvia of rigging the European elections. She also appealed to the Belarusian authorities for political asylum.

Čerņavska ran for the European Parliament with the support of the Young Latvians Association, a populist party critical of LGBT rights and opposed to admitting migrants. She garnered just over 2 percent of the vote.

Čerņavska holds a degree in accounting and also prides herself on being an expert in "cosmoeniopsychology," a field combining psychology with esotericism.

In her interview with Belarusian state television, she claimed to fear persecution and political repression from the Latvian authorities, who she said were  fighting against freedom of speech.

After praising Belarus' strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko, she warned Belarusians against "Western values," claiming that they "only bring destruction."

According to Čerņavska, Latvia is occupied by the United States, and there is a lack of funding for schools and post offices because all financial resources are directed toward supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Frequently active on social media, she has previously been accused of supporting pro-Kremlin propaganda narratives.

Last month, Tomasz Szmydt, a Polish judge from a Warsaw administrative court, asked for asylum in Belarus, saying he was acting in protest against Poland's policy towards Russia and Belarus, according to media reports.

A spokesperson for the Polish Public Prosecutor's Office said at the time that prosecutors were checking if Szmydt, who had access to confidential information as a judge, had been spying against Poland.

(mp/gs)

Source: news.zerkalo.io / belsat.eu