Belarusian political prisoner's death exposes grim conditions: Fourth such loss under Lukashenko's reign
"Another political prisoner has succumbed in Belarus, 50-year-old Wadzim Chraśko. Despite being seriously ill, he received a three-year sentence in a penal colony for several donations", uttered the Viasna Human Rights Defense Center, the biggest human rights advocacy group in Belarus, via social media. The organization's main task involves monitoring human rights violations in Belarus, along with providing legal aid to the victims.
3:42 AM EST, January 14, 2024
The activists from Viasna mentioned that Chraśko, who was serving his sentence at penal colony no. 3 in Vitebsk, passed away between January 8th and 9th. The human rights defenders came to know about this unfortunate event on Saturday morning.
According to them, Chraśko became sick in prison but was taken to hospital only when it was beyond the point of saving him. The official cause of Chraśko's death was pneumonia.
Viasna conveyed that Chraśko was arrested in April 2023 and was taken to pre-trial detention center no. 1 in Minsk. In the following August, judge Siarhei Khrapach sentenced him under the clause concerning the "funding of extremist group activities".
Sent to a penal colony due to donating money
Viasna underscored that in Belarus, individuals who donate funds to help those who are oppressed and non-governmental organizations are often punished in this way. These organizations have been labeled "extremist" by Alexander Lukashenko's regime. Despite appealing, the Supreme Court sustained the verdict.
In November 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs listed Wadzim Chraśko as an extremist. Based on Viasna's findings, he was held in the Vitebsk colony for approximately three months.
"Subjected to daily torture and forced labor"
Pavel Latushka, leader of the oppositional Belarusian National Anti-Crisis Body and former ambassador to Poland, informed Virtual Poland that this is the fourth known death of a political prisoner during Lukashenko's reign.
- Approximately 1500 political prisoners are kept in Belarus under inhumane conditions, undergoing daily torture and forced labor - Latushka underlined.
