Pavel Latushko

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Pavlovich and the family name is Latushko.

Pavel Latushko
Павел Латушка
Павел Латушко
Latushko in 2010
Head of National Anti-Crisis Management of Belarus
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 October 2020
PresidentSviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Preceded byPosition established
Minister of Culture
In office
4 June 2009 – 16 November 2012
PresidentAlexander Lukashenko
Prime MinisterSergei Sidorsky
Mikhail Myasnikovich
Preceded byVladimir Fyodorovich Matveichuk
Succeeded byBoris Svetlov
Personal details
Born (1973-02-10) 10 February 1973 (age 51)
Minsk, Belarusian SSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipBelarusian
Alma materBelarusian State University
Minsk State Linguistic University

Pavel Pavlovich Latushko[a] (born 10 February 1973) is a Belarusian politician and diplomat. He was the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus from 2009 to 2012.

In 2020, Latushko supported the Belarusian protests against Lukashenko. He became the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, a "shadow-government-like" organisation. On August 9, 2022 Latushko became the Deputy Head and Representative for the Transfer of Power in the United Transitional Cabinet of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.[1]

In March 2023, a Belarusian court sentenced him in absentia to 18 years' imprisonment.

Education

Latushko graduated from the law faculty of the Belarusian State University in 1995, and Minsk State Linguistic University in 1996.

Diplomatic career under Lukashenko

From 1995 to 1996, he was the attaché of the contractual and legal department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus. He then served from 1996 to 2000 as the Vice Consul, Consul of the Consulate General of the Republic of Belarus in Bialystok (Poland).[2][3] Following that, he was the head of the information department and press secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry from 2000 to 2002.[citation needed]

From 6 December 2002 to 31 October 2008, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Poland. He then served as the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Belarus from 4 June 2009 to 16 November 2012.[4][5] Since 16 November 2012, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the French Republic, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to UNESCO.[5][6] On 20 May 2013 he was appointed concurrently Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Kingdom of Spain and to the Portuguese Republic,[7] and on 15 December 2016 he was also appointed concurrently Ambassador to Monaco.[8] On 15 January 2019, he was relieved of his post as ambassador.[9]

In March 2019, he was appointed director of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater.[10]

Criticisms

During the 2006 Belarusian presidential election, Pavel Latushko attracted media attention in Poland.[11][12] In his role as Belarusian ambassador to Poland, Latushko took part in the program "24 hours" of the TVN24 news channel via teleconference. The host questioned him about the conduct of the election, access of opposition candidates to the media and arrests of activists. At the end of the teleconference, the operator forgot to turn off the camera. Latushko's statements later became public, "I will say this - I will never give an interview to your station again - it's a nightmare ... Your journalists are ... well ... what they did in the summer, and now they're starting again with the president ... It's just ... If I [weren't] an ambassador, I apologize and please pass it to him (the presenter), I would give it to him in the face." Latushko was summoned "on the carpet" to the Polish Foreign Ministry and recalled to Belarus for consultations. Some Polish politicians called for Latushko to be declared persona non grata.[13][14][15]

2020 election protests

During the 2020 Belarusian protests, he supported the strike of the theater artists, and spoke in favor of the resignation of Yury Karaev and Lidia Yermoshina. Because of his support, Latushko was fired on 17 August. Theatre artists applied en masse for the resignation in support of Pavel Latushko.

On 19 August, Latushko became a member of the presidium of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Coordination Council.[16]

On 20 August, Alexander Konyuk, the Prosecutor-General of Belarus, initiated criminal proceedings against the members of the Coordination Council under Article 361 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, on the grounds of attempting to seize state power and harming national security.[17][18]

In the closing days of August, Latushko moved to Poland after being questioned by authorities. "His departure came a day after Lukashenko warned that Latushko had crossed a red line and would face prosecution."[19]

In late October 2020, Latushko became the head of National Anti-Crisis Management, a shadow government created by the Belarusian Coordination Council for the peaceful transition of power following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.[20][21]

On 9 August 2022, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared at a conference held in Vilnius, Lithuania, the declaration of the United Transitional Cabinet. Latushko is the responsible person for the transition of power in it.[22]

In March 2023, a Belarusian court sentenced him in absentia to 18 years' imprisonment.[23]

Points of view

In October 2002 Pavel Latushko accused Russian physicist and opposition politician Boris Nemtsov of interfering in Belarusian internal affairs and supported his expulsion from Belarus.[24] "Nemtsov's efforts to complicate the development of Belarusian–Russian relations, to slow down integration processes, his categorical disagreement with the policy of building the Union State harm not only Belarusian–Russian bilateral relations, but also the prospects of building the union".[25]

Ranks and classes

  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the 2nd class (6 December 2002).
  • First class civil servant (4 June 2009).
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (16 November 2012).

Personal life

In addition to Russian and Belarusian, he speaks English and Polish.[26] His ex-wife Natalia is the wife of the Belarusian diplomat and statesman Maxim Ryzhenkov.[27]

Notes

  1. ^ Belarusian: Павел Паўлавіч Латушка, romanized: Paviel Pawłavič Latuška, Russian: Павел Павлович Латушко, romanized: Pavel Pavlovič Latuško

References

  1. ^ "Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya announced the United Transitional Cabinet and named its first members". Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. In my absence, Pavel Latushka and Valery Kavaleuski will be my deputies.
  2. ^ "Национальный правовой Интернет-портал Республики Беларусь". www.pravo.by. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. ^ "Национальный правовой Интернет-портал Республики Беларусь". www.pravo.by. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Национальный правовой Интернет-портал Республики Беларусь". www.pravo.by. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Национальный правовой Интернет-портал Республики Беларусь". www.pravo.by. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  6. ^ "БелаПАН. Павел Латушко назначен послом Беларуси во Франции". belapan.com (in Russian). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Национальный правовой Интернет-портал Республики Беларусь". www.pravo.by. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Указ Президента Республики Беларусь от 15 декабря 2016 г. № 464" (in Russian).
  9. ^ "О П.П.Латушко". pravo.by. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Павел Латушко получил новое назначение". TUT.BY (in Russian). 6 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Ambasador Białorusi chciał "dać w mordę" dziennikarzowi TVN24". Bankier.pl (in Polish). 22 March 2006. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Посол Латушко: "Скажу следующее ... дал бы в морду" | | АФН | Белорусские новости | Республика Беларусь | Минск". afn.by. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Białoruski ambasador odwołany na konsultacje". Wprost (in Polish). 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Моральный выбор Павла Латушко" [The moral choice of Pavel Latushko] (in Russian). 10 December 2012.
  15. ^ Свабода, Радыё (7 December 2007). "Амбасадара Латушку выклікалі ў польскае МЗС". Радыё Свабода (in Belarusian). Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Члены Координационного Совета". Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  17. ^ "МАЯ КРАІНА БЕЛАРУСЬ". Telegram. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  18. ^ "Belarus Opens Criminal Probe Against Oppositions Coordination Council- Prosecutor General". UrduPoint. Archived from the original on 22 August 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  19. ^ "Belarus opposition activist reportedly resisting attempts to expel her to Ukraine". CBC. The Associated Press. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Pavel Latushko Announces Establishment Of People's Anti-Crisis Administration". Belarus Feed. 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  21. ^ "National Anti-Crisis Management". National Anti-crisis Management. 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  22. ^ "On Second Anniversary Of Disputed Belarusian Presidential Poll, Tsikhanouskaya Names 'Interim Cabinet'". Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Тихановскую приговорили к 15 годам колонии". РБК (in Russian). 6 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  24. ^ "Немцов изгнан за вмешательство в дела Белоруссии". www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 23 October 2002. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  25. ^ "О комментарии МИД Беларуси в связи с выдворением Бориса Немцова за пределы Республики Беларусь - Министерство иностранных дел Республики Беларусь". mfa.gov.by. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  26. ^ "Pavel LATUSHKA: Ambassadeur Extraordinaire et Plénipotentiaire de la République du Bélarus en République Française, délégué permanent auprès de l'UNESCO" [Pavel LATUSHKA: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from the Republic of Belarus to the French Republic, permanent delegate to UNESCO] (PDF) (in French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2015. Langues: polonais, anglais.
  27. ^ "Из спорта в Администрацию президента: пять фактов о Максиме Рыжанкове". 21 December 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2021.