Political prisoner, 22, dies in Belarus

A 22-year-old political prisoner, Dmitry Shletgauer, has died in prison in Belarus. Shletgauer, a native of Russia, was serving a 12-year sentence for espionage and "promoting extremist activities".

Source: Belarusian Human Rights Centre Viasna, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Early reports indicate that Shletgauer died on 11 October 2024, having served less than a month in prison. The exact cause of his death is unknown.

He was sentenced to 12 years in a high-security colony in the summer for "espionage" and "promoting extremist activities".

The Russian citizen, who obtained a residence permit in Belarus in 2018, worked at a polymer plant before his arrest.

Shletgauer became the seventh dissident to die in prison since Minsk launched a harsh and widespread crackdown on the opposition in 2020.

Viasna reports that approximately 1,300 political prisoners are currently being held in Belarus, with many being denied proper medical care and the ability to communicate with their families.

Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for an independent investigation into Shletgauer's death.

Background:

• Following the historic prisoner exchange between the West and Russia, Tsikhanouskaya stressed that ways should be found to release political prisoners held by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus.
• Recently, Lukashenko pardoned a number of political prisoners in several waves. However, the European Union has emphasised that hundreds more remain imprisoned on political grounds in Belarus.

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