Current:Home > ScamsBelarus rights group calls on UN to push for proper treatment of cancer-stricken opposition prisoner -BeyondProfit Compass
Belarus rights group calls on UN to push for proper treatment of cancer-stricken opposition prisoner
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:02:00
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — The most prominent human rights group in Belarus is calling on the United Nations’ special rapporteur for human rights in the repressive country to pressure officials to give adequate medical treatment to an imprisoned opposition leader suffering from severe cancer.
The appeal Wednesday by the Viasna group said Ryhor Kostusiou is being denied proper medical care in the prison where he is serving a 10-year sentence on a conviction of attempting to unlawfully seize power.
Kostusiou, head of the Belarusian Popular Front party, was arrested in 2021 as part of a harsh crackdown on opposition that began after mass protests shook the country following the 2020 presidential election. The election’s disputed results gave another term to President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in office since 1994 and suppressed opposition and independent news media.
About 35,000 people were detained in and after the protests. More than 1,400 political prisoners remain behind bars, including Viasna founder Ales Bialiatski, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
Viasna said Monday that another political prisoner had died of pneumonia after authorities ignored his pleas for help.
The 67-year-old Kostusiou’s “health condition has seriously deteriorated,” Viasna said in its appeal to special rapporteur Anais Marin. ”The conditions for serving a criminal sentence do not take into account his serious health condition, do not allow him to receive quality treatment and endanger his life.”
The group asked the rapporteur to send “an urgent appeal to the authorities asking them to provide Kostusiou with proper treatment.”
veryGood! (39)
Related
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Organizers cancel Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna over fears of an attack
- A balloon, a brief flicker of power, then disruption of water service for thousands in New Orleans
- A New York Appellate Court Rejects a Broad Application of the State’s Green Amendment
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- American news website Axios laying off dozens of employees
- EPA issues rare emergency ban on pesticide that damages fetuses
- Video shows dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery and sparking house fire in Oklahoma
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Olympic track and field live results: Noah Lyles goes for gold in 200, schedule today
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- The Daily Money: Disney+ wants your dollars
- Snooty waiters. Gripes about the language. Has Olympics made Paris more tourist-friendly?
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
- Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Porsha Williams' Bedroom Makeover Tips: Glam It Up With Picks Starting at $5
- Olympic men's basketball bracket: Results of the 5x5 tournament
Recommendation
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
Immigration issues sorted, Guatemala runner Luis Grijalva can now focus solely on sports
USA's Quincy Hall wins gold medal in men’s 400 meters with spectacular finish
Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
The GOP and Kansas’ Democratic governor ousted targeted lawmakers in the state’s primary
Boxer Lin Yu-Ting, targeted in gender eligibility controversy, to fight for gold
Top US health official acknowledges more federal money for utility help is needed for extreme heat