Strange death of inmate in Minsk detention facility No.1

Inmate Ihar Ptsichkin died in detention facility No. 1 in Minsk on 4 August.

The Zavadski District Court sentenced the Minsk resident to two months in detention under Article 417 of the Criminal Code. Ihar Ptsichkin was found guilty of driving without a license. Two years ago his driving license was suspended for five years.

Ihar Ptsichkin admitted his guilt at the trial. Having come to the Zavadski District Police Department on 30 July he was transferred to detention facility No. 1 in Valadarski Street in Minsk to serve his term.

Ihar's mother received a phone call from prison officers four days later. They said her son had died. According to them, the young man, who had never had serious health problems, died of cardiac arrest. Without his mother's consent, Ptichkin's body was taken to the morgue for autopsy. Later, during the identification procedure relatives saw numerous bruises and injuries all over his body. They noticed fractured ribs, handcuff marks and open wounds on the body.

Ptichkin's relatives couldn't receive the death certificate and the autopsy report for no reasons. Zhana Ptsichkina, Ihar's mother, told charter97.org she was promised to be given the documents later. She doesn't believe the cause of the death was natural.

“The prison officers told me he had been an alcoholic and a drug addict. They say he attacked people. It's not true. Our neighbours know Ihar well. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He grew up without a father and worked since 15,” the woman says.

She added that prison officers didn't say the exact time of Ihar's death.

“They called me on 4 August and said that my son had died and that I had to go to the detention facility. A prison officer said he had died at 6 in the morning, but another officer said it was at 8:45. They made me sign a document saying the body was given to me, but it was in the morgue. I went to the morgue. A morgue employee didn't tell me anything, because she talked to an investigator some minutes before,” Zhana Ptsichkina said.

The funeral of Ihar Ptsichkin has taken place today. His mother is going to initiate an investigation into his death in order to find the truth.