News on the topic: penitentiary system
24.01.2017 More deaths in prison: who is to blame?
An inmate has died in penal colony No. 13 in the northern town of Hlybokaje, according to the Belarusian Documentation Center. On January 4, Valiantsin Pishchalau, 30, died in an ambulance that was called to take the patient to the hospital. According to the penitentiary’s chief, the prisoner died of “acute cardiovascular failure.”
14.12.2016 Prison doctors face charges over fatal incident in Žodzina jail
The Žodzina city department of the Investigative Committee has opened a criminal investigation into the death of Ihar Barbashynski, an inmate of local jail, in September 2016. A notification received by the victim’s mother says that the case was opened under Part 2 of Article 162 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of professional duties by a healthcare practitioner, which negligently caused the death of a patient).
21.10.2016 Doctor sentenced to three years over jail death
The Court of Maskoŭski district of Minsk has sentenced Aliaksandr Krylou, employee of a jail hospital in Minsk, to three years of imprisonment in a penal settlement, putting an end to the criminal investigation into the death of Ihar Ptsichkin.
20.10.2016 Authorities to investigate death in Žodzina jail
The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case into the death of Aleh Bahdanau, an inmate of Žodzina jail No. 8, on 29 January 2016.
20.09.2016 Colony Hides Information on Suicides
The Human Rights Center Viasna requested confirmation or refutation from Navasady colony (Barysau district) about alleged four suicides and two attempts of suicide there. The reply that came from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Department of Execution of Sentences, was not satisfactory, so Viasna is filing a request to the prosecutor’s office.
17.08.2016 Mikhail Zhamchuzhny appeals sentence to Supreme Court
On August 1, political prisoner Mikhail Zhamchuzhny sent to the Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court a supervisory appeal against the 6.5-year sentences he is serving in prison outside Barysaŭ, according to a letter received by the Human Rights Center "Viasna".
05.08.2016 Effective complaint? Unavailable for prisoners
In Belarus, prisoners do not believe in the effectiveness of complaints against the prison authorities. This lack of confidence is reinforced by legislative prerequisites that are analyzed by Pavel Sapelka, expert on penitentiary law. He also describes possible measures that could change the situation.
22.07.2016 Viasna calls to end harassment of Andrei Bandarenka and Mikhail Zhamchuzhny in prison
Ales Bialiatski, chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", has sent a petition to the Minister of the Interior and the Prosecutor General, urging the officials to put an end to the harassment of human rights defenders Andrei Bandarenka and Mikhail Zhamchuzhny currently serving their sentences in Mahilioŭ and Navasady.
15.07.2016 Prison doctor to stand trial over fatal neglect
The Prosecutor General's Office has completed the investigation into the death of Ihar Ptsichkin in jail No. 1 of Minsk in August 2014. According to latest information, the criminal case against paramedic Aliaksandr Krylou will soon reach the court.
08.07.2016 Provision of safe conditions for certain categories of prisoners in Belarus
It is generally accepted that prisoners, regardless of the nature of their offense, can enjoy all the basic human rights. These include the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
13.05.2016 No changes in public control over places of detention
Lawyer of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Pavel Sapelka has analyzed the latest developments in monitoring places of detention in Belarus.
05.05.2016 What changes to be introduced in conditions of serving sentences of restriction freedom and imprisonment?
The National Assembly is preparing to adopt a law "On amendments and additions to the Criminal Executive Code of the Republic of Belarus". Its adoption is expected to draw a line, among other things, under determining the duration of short-term visits provided for prisoners. These changes have been analyzed by Pavel Sapelka, an expert on the prison system and lawyer of the HRC "Viasna".
14.04.2016 Human rights activists warn authorities against building concentration camps
Activists of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” say they are outraged over the President's recent order to tighten the conditions for convicts serving prison terms on drug-related charges.
21.03.2016 Death in Žodzina prison: accident or negligence?
Ms. Maryna Bahdanava says her son died as a result of negligence by the doctors of prison No. 8 in the town of Žodzina, Minsk region.
02.03.2016 Viasna publishes report on monitoring places of detention in Belarus
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has analyzed the situation in places of detention in Belarus and prepared a report on the results of monitoring in 2015.
