Rights groups urge officials to investigate political prisoner’s death

January 17, Pozirk. Belarusian human rights groups have issued a joint statement, appealing to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Investigative Committee to investigate the recent death of imprisoned opposition supporter Vadzim Chraśko.

Human rights defenders his death might be linked to ill-treatment of people persecuted on politically-motivated grounds.

“Judges often do not take into account the health of the accused, imposing harsh punishment, such as deprivation of freedom for ‘crimes’ that in essence represent the realization of human rights,” the statement reads.

The number of seniors imprisoned on politically-motivated charges doubled since 2022 to at least 48, while 42 prisoners had disabilities or were diagnosed with serious illnesses, rights groups said. The oldest political prisoner is Natalla Taran, 75, serving a three-and-a-half-year term for social media posts.

Authorities often use medical care to blackmail political prisoners, which is “unacceptable and can be considered torture,” the statement noted.

Human rights defenders demanded that the authorities disclose the results of the investigation into the deaths of jailed opposition activist Vitold Ašurak, blogger Mikałaj Klimovič and artist Aleś Puškin.

The statement also urged judges to take into account the health of the accused when imposing punishments.

The Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Viasna Human Rights Center, Pravavaja Inicyjatyva, Human Constanta, the Belarusian PEN, Lawtrend and Barys Zvozkaŭ Belarusian Human Rights House signed the statement, demanding freedom for all political prisoners and an end of reprisals for exercising civil and political rights.

Vadzim Chraśko, 50, died of pneumonia in the early hours of January 9 and was buried three days later in Minsk. Arrested in April for several donations to opposition initiatives, he was given three years in prison despite serious illness.