Belarus expels Polish diplomat over ‘cursed soldiers’ event

Minsk: Belarus on Tuesday expelled a Polish consul after expressing "strong protest" over his participation in an event dedicated to Poland’s "cursed soldiers" who fought against both German and Soviet occupation during World War II.

"The heroisation of war criminals is for us completely unacceptable," the foreign ministry of ex-Soviet Belarus said in a statement explaining its decision to expel Jerzy Timofejuk, the Polish Consul in the southwestern city of Brest.

According to the ministry, Timofejuk took part in an "unofficial event" in Brest on February 28 that was attended by "representatives of non-governmental and youth organisation with links to Poland".

Resistance battalions that fought against Nazi German occupation during WWII, known as the Polish "cursed soldiers", later turned against the Soviet occupation, often acting violently against those who were not Poles, especially Belarusians.