Ukrainian Anticorruption Activist Suffers Chemical Burns After Attack With Green Liquid

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A top Ukrainian activist who campaigns against government corruption says he suffered chemical burns when an assailant threw green liquid in his face as he took part in a demonstration outside a prosecutor's office in Kyiv.

The July 17 attack left most of Vitaliy Shabunin's face and left hand covered in bright green stains similar to marks left by "zelyonka," a liquid sold in Ukraine as an antiseptic.

"I'm sorry my eyes are closed. I have a chemical burn," the head of the nongovernmental Anticorruption Action Center said in a video posted online.

The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks against activists and minority groups in Ukraine.

Nongovernmental groups and Ukraine's Western allies have said the attacks highlight a culture of impunity at odds with commitments from Ukrainian authorities.

Transparency International Ukraine said the attack against Shabunin represented "a negative tendency: escalation of unpunished violence against anticorruption activists."

"This situation is a shame for the law enforcement system," it said in a statement. "We demand that the management of law enforcement agencies pay attention to these cases and report on their investigation."

The Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the case.

With reporting by Reuters