Jailed opposition activist spends three days in coma – rights group

June 2, BPN. Jailed Aksana Zareckaja, a member of the Coordinating Council for Political Crisis Settlement, was in a coma for at least three days, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

On March 16, Zareckaja was taken to hospital from Minsk Detention Center No 1 where she reportedly did not have access to proper medical care and was denied parcels with medications.

Two days prior to her hospitalization, a district judge in Minsk sentenced her to 18 months in prison in connection with the 2020 post-election protests. On May 19, the Minsk City Court rejected Zareckaja’s appeal and upheld the verdict.

She is known as a culture expert and business communication coach.

Human rights defenders systematically report the lack of proper medical care in Belarusian prisons.

On May 10, the Belarusian human rights community issued a joint statement demanding that authorities investigate the death of jailed blogger Mikałaj Klimovič and check the availability of medical assistance in prisons.

Thousands of people suffer and risk dying in custody because of violations of the constitutional right to health care, rights groups stressed, noting the lack of proper medical examinations and qualified medical personnel.

Belarus “fails to fulfill its obligations to ensure that the right to life is duly protected by law and enforced in practice, resulting in such tragedies,” they said. It is unacceptable that authorities deny medical assistance as a form of pressure on political prisoners, human rights defenders stressed.

On May 21, 2021, jailed activist Vitold Ašurak died in prison under unclear circumstances.