The Investigative Committee has issued a press release about the death of political prisoner Vitold Ashurak in the Shklou colony.
According to the IC, on May 21, the warden on duty in the Shklou colony found political prisoner Vitold Ashurak unconscious. Medics were called in. “Despite the resuscitation measures carried out by medics, the man could not be saved,” said the press release.
The Investigative Committee is conducting an inspection. It is alleged that during a month in the correctional institution, “the convict committed twelve violations of the established order of serving his sentence, for which he was transferred to a cell-type room.”
“It was established that the day before the convict had suffered bodily injuries of the face during a fall. Measures were taken to provide medical care due to the deterioration of his health. According to the colony staff, the convict did not complain about his state of health and refused assistance and hospitalization,” said the IC.
The IC published a snapshot of CCTV footage in the room where Ashurak was probably kept.
The video suggests that Ashurak was already not feeling well before the first fall – he could not stand on his feet. However, the IC press release does not explain this in any way.
The death of Vitold Ashurak was announced on Friday, but the body was not released until Tuesday afternoon. The funeral was scheduled for May 26; the relatives refuse further examinations.
The family friend Volha Bykouskaya told Belsat that Vitold Ashurak‘s head was “bandaged from the crown to the nose, with only his mouth visible. Bykouskaya went to pick up the body together with the brother of the deceased.
The relatives decided not to do additional examinations, as they did not trust the possible results and did not want to delay the funeral. The wife of the deceased was told that Vitold Ashurak died of cardiac arrest. She claims that Vitold’s heart was healthy.
