Russian political prisoner dies in Belarus penal colony, rights group says

A 22-year-old Russian man considered a political prisoner by activists has died in a penal colony in Belarus, human rights group Viasna said Friday.

The rights group said it confirmed the death of Dmitry Shletgauer, who was recently transferred to a penal colony in Mogilev in eastern Belarus.

Viasna said Shletgauer had been at the penal colony for a short time before his death.

“Provisionally, this happened on October 11,” the rights group said. “He spent less than a month in the penal colony. The exact cause of death is unknown.”

Shletgauer received a 12-year sentence after being convicted of espionage and facilitating extremist activities.

He was arrested in the crackdown in Belarus that occurred after the disputed 2020 presidential election of Alexander Lukashenko that gave the strongman a sixth term.

In September, Shletgauer joined Viasna’s list of recognized political prisoners in Belarus.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, is reported to have approximately 1,300 political prisoners, according to Viasna.

Radio Free Europe reports Shletgauer was born in Slavgorod, Russia, and acquired residency in Belarus in 2018.

Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse.
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