July 3, Pozirk. Ryhor Kastusioŭ, the political prisoner and cancer patient who leads the outlawed Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), has been released, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported, citing his relatives.
The politician’s son-in-law, Dźmitryj Antončyk, said on Facebook: “Friends, I do not have much information. Ryhor Kastusioŭ is free. Give us time for emotions.”
Kastusioŭ was in detention since April 2021. In September 2022, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced him to 10 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government. He and the other alleged plotters were prosecuted for political reasons, according to rights activists. Kastusioŭ pleaded not guilty.
In November 2022, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal.
In January 2024, the Ivacevičy District Court ordered his transfer from a penal colony to a prison. The politician is listed as a person prone to extremism.
Kastusioŭ’s illness was reported only after his arrest. Rights activists drew the attention of UN experts to his deteriorating condition, calling on the Belarusian authorities to grant him a pardon or remission of sentence, or to replace his imprisonment with an alternative form of deprivation of liberty.
Yesterday, Alaksandar Łukašenka announced the release of his critically ill opponents on humanitarian grounds.
Speaking at a ceremony ahead of Independence Day, the Belarusian leader urged the nation not to be surprised by the move.
He explained that although these prisoners caused trouble in 2020, the inmates to be released are seriously ill, mostly with cancer.
Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja called for the unconditional release of more than 200 sick political prisoners.
On June 13, she told the United States Helsinki Commission about a “humanitarian list” prepared by democracy supporters. It included 16 inmates with disabilities, 91 with serious illnesses, 65 seniors, 10 with mental disorders, 23 minors as well as at least five families with both parents behind the bars.
