Belarusian Activist Serving Prison Sentence For Protests Reportedly Dies Of Heart Attack
May 22, 2021 11:50 GMT
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A Belarusian political activist who was sentenced in January to five years in prison for participating in anti-government protests has reportedly died.
The precise circumstances of Vitold Ashurak’s death weren’t immediately clear. The news website Onliner and other media said he suffered a heart attack in a prison facility in eastern Belarus.
Ashurak, 50, was a member of the Belarusian Popular Front opposition party and a coordinator of the For Freedom movement.
Exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya condemned prison authorities for allowing Ashurak’s death.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month as the Belarusian strongman faces growing isolation from the West over his crackdown on peaceful protesters.
Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava could be sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges that the U.S. State Department described as "an outrage." Kalesnikava is one of several opposition leaders facing jail or other forms of persecution from Alyaksandr Lukashenka's forces.
Belarusian Army Officer Gets 18 Years In Prison Amid Crackdown Over Postelection Protests
May 14, 2021 14:28 GMT
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MINSK A captain in the Belarusian armed forces General Staff accused of leaking a government document about the use of troops to crack down on peaceful protesters has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The Supreme Court on May 14
found 29-year-old Captain Dzyanis Urad guilty of high treason and sentenced him the same day.
Belarusian courts have been meting out tough punishments to protesters and officials like Urad who support them in a bid to quash mass opposition to Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka s brutal 27-year rule.
Jailed Belarusian Opposition Figure Kalesnikava Handed Final Accusation Papers
May 13, 2021 12:55 GMT
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MINSK Belarusian opposition figure Maryya Kalesnikava has been charged eight months after her arrest last year for urging people to protest against a disputed presidential election that left Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power.
Kalesnikava s associates
told RFE/RL on May 13 that, according to official documents, Kalesnikava was charged with conspiracy to seize power by unconstitutional means, public calls for action against national security, and creating and leading an extremist group.
Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country s legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.