Prison conditions of ailing party leader deteriorate, Viasna tells United Nations

January 17, Pozirk. The Viasna Human Rights Center has complained to the UN rapporteurs on Belarus and the right to physical and mental health about the deteriorating prison conditions of Ryhor Kastusioŭ, leader of the Belarusian Popular Front (BPF).

The center asked the rapporteurs to inquire about Kastusioŭ’s health and to urge Belarusian authorities to provide him with adequate treatment.

The authorities have severely restricted access to information about him, it said, noting that prison conditions are dangerous for his life.

A cancer patient, Kastusioŭ has been in detention since April 2021.

In 2022, Judge Uładzimir Areška sentenced him to 10 years in prison for alleged conspiracy to seize power, a charge he denied. The interior ministry designated him as an extremist.

Last year, the Supreme Court dissolved the BPF, but it continues to operate and has international partners.