Belarus: Top independent human rights experts have called for urgent investigations into the deaths of several political dissenters who died in custody in Belarus.
According to United Nations, the experts, known as Special Rapporteurs, highlighted the case of 61-year-old businessman Valiantsin Shtermer, who passed away in May 2025 while serving a sentence in a Correctional Colony in Šklou. Shtermer had been imprisoned for criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and was allegedly denied necessary medical care despite his serious condition.
Fifty-year-old opposition activist Vitold Ashurak also died shortly after being placed in isolation in the same facility. The Special Rapporteurs noted that Ashurak, a member of the Belarusian National Front, was jailed for violating public order during protests related to the 2020 presidential elections. The experts emphasized the urgent need to investigate these deaths, as they suspect abuse or neglect linked to the exercise of fundamental rights.
The independent experts stressed the importance of thoroughly examining the alleged instances of ill-treatment and neglect that resulted in these deaths. They suggested that the fatalities of Shtermer, Ashurak, and others might have been retaliatory actions for exercising civil and political rights, including freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Concerns were also raised about the labeling of some opposition figures as extremists or terrorists. The Special Rapporteurs, who report to the Human Rights Council, do not receive payment for their work.