{"id":143918,"date":"2025-06-24T14:21:26","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/143918\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"investigation-activist-asurak-was-murdered-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/143918\/","title":{"rendered":"Investigation: activist A\u0161urak was murdered in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 24, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Opposition activist Vitold A\u0161urak died after suffering a serious head injury in prison, being denied timely medical care, found an investigation conducted by human rights defenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conclusion is based on 18 testimonies by other victims of ill-treatment who had served their prison terms between December 2020 and June 2024 at the \u0160k\u0142o\u016d penal colony, where A\u0161urak died in May 2021. The government\u2019s probe into the accident has stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u0161urak had his head hit against a wall or was \u201cbrutally beaten with batons, including on the head,\u201d Siarhiej U\u015bcina\u016d, co-founder of the Pravavaja Inicyjatyva and the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus, has said at an online presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights defenders identified Siarhiej Kar\u010de\u016dski and Alaksiej Maskalo\u016d as the most likely assailants, with most victims pointing at both as those responsible for beatings, torture and other forms of violence at the penal colony, U\u015bcina\u016d said. Doctors who failed to provide timely assistance are also to blame, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u0161urak died under unclear circumstances behind bars four years ago. He was arrested in August 2020, following the disputed presidential election and sentenced to several short jail terms before being charged in a criminal case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2021, judge Maksim Fi\u0142ata\u016d in Lida, Hrodna region, sentenced him to five years in prison on protest-related charges. Rights groups dismissed A\u0161urak\u2019s persecution as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups and pro-democracy leaders declared the day of his death, May 21, International Day of Solidarity with Belarusian Political Prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides A\u0161urak, several other designated political prisoners died in recent years behind bars, including Mika\u0142aj Klimovi\u010d, Ale\u015b Pu\u0161kin, Vadzim Chra\u015bko, Ihar Lednik, Alaksandar Kulini\u010d and Dmitry Shletgauer. The most recent reported case is the death of Valancin \u0160termier in early 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 24, human rights defenders identified at least 1,173 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also read: Rights defenders pay tribute to dissident A\u0161urak on scheduled release date<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June 24, Pozirk. Opposition activist Vitold A\u0161urak died after suffering a serious head injury in prison, being denied timely medical care, found an investigation conducted by human rights defenders. The conclusion is based on 18 testimonies by other victims of ill-treatment who had served their prison terms between December 2020 and June 2024 at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":86438,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-143918","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInvestigation: activist A\u0161urak was murdered in prison | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"June 24, Pozirk. 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