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Ukrainian activist Dmytro Bulatov "has clear signs of long-term torture and cruel treatment on his body,” the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said 4 February, AFP reports.
Bulatov, 35, traveled to Vilnius 2 February after a Ukrainian court allowed him to leave the country for medical treatment. He claims he was kidnapped 22 January and tortured for eight days in punishment for his role in the “AutoMaidan,” a traveling anti-government protest by drivers.
He organized a protest at President Viktor Yanukovych’s country residence “and has been targeted by police,” AFP writes.
Bulatov’s claim that his captors spoke with Russian accents is one of several similar allegations circulating among protesters, Radio Free Europe reports. Last week two journalists from Tatarstan covering the protests said they were beaten by men speaking “pure” Russian.
Russian journalist and security expert Andrei Soldatov told RFE it is too early to say if such reports are true and notes that many native Ukrainians and migrants speak Russian as a first language.
Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry called on the EU to demand a “thorough and independent investigation into [Bulatov’s] and other related offenses, and take steps to punish the perpetrators,” AFP reports.
Two other Ukrainian activists are undergoing medical treatment in Lithuania, the Lithuania Tribune reports.
Ukrainian activist likely tortured, Lithuania says
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