A political prisoner dies in Belarusian prison, human rights activists say

TALLINN Estonia AP A Belarusian man has died in prison while serving a sentence for insulting the country s authoritarian president a human rights group mentioned Thursday adding to a growing number of political prisoners who perished amid a relentless crackdown on dissent in the tightly controlled country Valiantsin Shtermer died in a prison colony in the city of Shklow in eastern Belarus the Viasna Human Rights Center revealed The exact date and the circumstances of his death weren t directly known Shtermer a businessman was handed a five-year sentence after he was convicted in October on charges of insulting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and criticizing the Russian war in Ukraine He was put on the list of extremists and terrorists designations that implied particularly tough prison conditions Belarus was shaken by mass protests in following a disputed voting process that handed Lukashenko his sixth consecutive term in office Administration responded with a sweeping crackdown in which more than people were arrested and thousands were beaten by police Top opposition figures were jailed or forced into exile and hundreds of thousands fled abroad fearing prosecution Shtermer was the eighth political prisoner to die in custody since according to Viasna The group commented Belarus at this time holds nearly political prisoners including its founder Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski Lukashenko who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for over years and has relied on Kremlin subsidies and sponsorship allowed Russia to use his country s territory to send troops into neighboring Ukraine in and to host chosen of its tactical nuclear weapons Belarusian functionaries have of late published selected political prisoners including several U S citizens in what specific observers saw as an attempt by Lukashenko to try to mend ties with the West but others have remained behind bars The prison where Shtermer died has been known for its harsh conditions Human rights activists explained that he had suffered a stroke before being sent to the prison but was put in a penitentiary cell upon arrival He spoke with difficulty had trouble walking and injured his hand after collapsing but never received therapeutic assistance they revealed Another political prisoner Vitold Ashurok died in the same prison in The Belarusian personnel bear the full responsibility for harassing political prisoners and creating torturous conditions for them and the death of innocent people behind bars stated Viasna s Pavel Sapelka According to the United Nations Belarus holds at least seven political prisoners with disabilities and another who suffer from chronic and grave acute diseases We are horrified by reports about appalling detention conditions lack of proper clinical care and deliberate ill-treatment of prisoners convicted in relation to the events including persons with disabilities and chronic and acute diseases U N experts commented earlier this month They voiced particular concern about the condition of Viktoria Kulsha who was sentenced for taking part in protests and has been on a hunger strike since late April Source