A Belarusian man in prison awaiting trial on charges of insulting the autocratic president has died in custody, the country’s main human rights organization announced Thursday.
The Viasna Center for Human Rights announced that Aliaksandr Kulinić, 51, died on Tuesday in a detention center in the western city of Brest, known for its harsh treatment of opposition activists.
Nobel laureate Bialiatsky’s condition worsened after serving 1,000 days in Belarusian prison, his wife says
His death was officially listed as coronary heart disease, but exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for an investigation and international pressure to end the abuse of political prisoners in Belarus.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting of the Supreme Council of Federal States on Monday, January 29, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Pavel Bednyakov, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo, via AP, File)
Kulinic was arrested on February 29 after making social media posts opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko, who has suppressed opposition parties and independent media since taking office in 1994.
The crackdown on dissent intensified sharply following the wave of mass protests that followed the disputed results of the August 2020 presidential election that gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office. . Some 35,000 people have been detained in connection with the protests, many of whom have reportedly been tortured while in custody.
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Vyasna said there are currently nearly 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus, including the group’s founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialyatsky.
