Belarus political prisoner dies after authorities fail to provide him with medical care, group says
A human rights group says that a political prisoner has died in prison in Belarus after authorities failed to provide him with proper medical care
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A political prisoner has died in prison in Belarus after authorities failed to provide him with proper medical care, a human rights group said Monday, a death that spotlighted cruel conditions in Belarusian prisons.
Vadzim Khrasko died of pneumonia in a penal colony near the northeastern city of Vitebsk after prison authorities had been slow to take him to a hospital, ignoring his pleas for help, the respected Viasna human rights center said. He died on Jan. 9, but the penal colony only reported his death now.
Khrasko, an information technology specialist who died at the age of 50, was serving a three-year sentence on charges of offering donations to opposition groups that the authorities branded "extremist."
Political activist Leanid Sudalenka, who served his three-year term at the same penal colony, told The Associated Press after finishing his term that he nearly died when COVID-19 swept through the facility. He said that he and other political prisoners had to wear a yellow tag on their uniforms, so they’re easily identifiable to guards who he said routinely bullied, abused and humiliated them.
