The NGO Viasna denounces the death of a political prisoner in a prison in Belarus

8 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Belarusian NGO Viasna has denounced the death of a political activist after two months of entering prison, as a consequence of a serious heart disease that was known before his sentence.

This is Nikolai Klimovich, 61, who, due to his state of cardiovascular health, had a recognized second degree disability. He had published on his social networks a cartoon that the Justice considered was a mockery against the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, and violated article 368 of his penal code, for which he was sentenced to one year in prison.

Specifically, according to the police report to which the NGO has had access, the defendant reacted with an emoticon to a publication with the cartoon on the social network Facebook, and according to his defense this shows that he did not intend to share it, just react. Even so, the court found him equally guilty by automatically sharing the wall image of him after the reaction.

Klimovich had serious cardiovascular disease, and had had to undergo surgery. During the trial, his lawyer expressed the danger that imprisonment posed for the defendant given his medical history and the large number of medications he used, as well as the need for numerous regular check-ups.

Klimovich himself, speaking to the press before his sentence, had expressed his fear of going to jail for his health: “Any prison sentence means death for me. It may not last a month.”

The NGO has criticized the prison term as unfair, in addition to endangering and ultimately contributing to the death of Klimovich, who had already suffered a heart attack after his initial detention, which lasted three days, after which he was transferred to the hospital and released until the day of trial.

Numerous Human Rights organizations and organizations such as the United Nations have expressed their concern on numerous occasions about the authoritarian drift in Belarus and the state of the guarantees of freedom of the press and expression in the country.