Peaceful protest leader transferred to a higher security facility

June 11, BPN. Sciapan Łatypaŭ, sentenced to eight and a half years in a high-security penal colony in the Ivacevičy district, Brest region, was placed in a higher-security facility (called pomeshcheniye kamernogo tipa or “PKT” in Russian) as punishment in mid-May for five months, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reported citing Łatypaŭ’s family.

Latypaŭ has received only two letters, one of which was from his father. He spent almost the entire month of February in a punishment cell.

According to the Penal Enforcement Code, those transferred to the PKT are held in “lockable shared or solitary confinement cells.” In contrast to penal colonies, PKT inmates almost never work. They are allowed to take one walk for half an hour during the day. 

Inmates are allowed to spend no more than one basic unit (32 rubles) per month to buy food and basic necessities and receive two parcels during the year.

Latypaŭ was arrested in in September 2020 in connection with post-election protests and accused of resisting arrest and mishandling crop protection agents. Human rights defenders declared him a political prisoner.