Ukraine: Police Arrest Man In Connection to Killing of Activist

Igor Pavlosky, a former aide of Mykola Palamarchuk, who is a lawmaker from President Petro Poroshenko’s party, was accused by the victim’s colleagues of having been a go-between the one who hired the hit and those who did it.

Pavlovsky confirmed last week in an interview with an Ukrainian TV station that police had questioned him about the attack but denied his involvement in it, according to Kyiv Post. However, police arrested him early Monday morning.

Palamarchuk fired Pavlovsky and has denied involvement in the attack.

Gandziuk, 33, died on Nov. 4, three months after one or more attackers poured nearly a liter of acid on her in her hometown of Kherson. The burns covered 40 percent of Gandziuk’s body and cost her sight in one eye. She supposedly died of a blood clot due to complications after the assault.

Her death sparked protests and condemnation of the government’s inaction against unsolved attacks on dozens of civil society activists in Ukraine over the past year. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that some authorities may have been involved in some of these attacks.

Five people had been arrested in August in connection to the attack on Gandziuk. Most of these individuals have admitted involvement, according to the Kyiv Post. However, the person who ordered the acid attack remains unknown.

Pavlovsky admitted to knowing one of the accused attackers.

Ukraine’s attorney general, Yuriy Lutsenko, submitted his resignation following public outcry over the investigation into the acid attack. Poroshenko did not accept it, AFP reported.