A Political Prisoner Dies in Belarusian Prison, Human Rights Activists Say
- Valiantsin Shtermer, a 61-year-old Belarusian businessman, passed away in a prison colony located in the city of Shklow during his five-year imprisonment.
- Shtermer was convicted in October 2023 for insulting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko amid a crackdown triggered by 2020 mass protests against a disputed election.
- Human rights organizations have identified Valiantsin Shtermer as the eighth political detainee to pass away while imprisoned since 2020, highlighting the harsh detention conditions faced by nearly 1,200 political prisoners currently held in Belarus.
- Pavel Sapelka of the Viasna Human Rights Center stated that the Belarusian government is entirely accountable for mistreating political detainees and subjecting them to severe and inhumane conditions, which have led to fatalities.
- The death highlights ongoing international concern, with UN experts condemning appalling prison conditions and deliberate ill-treatment of detainees linked to the 2020 protests.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Valiantsin Shtermer, 61, died in a prison colony in Shklow city, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center
Belarusian Dissident Dies in Custody Amid Crackdown
Belarusian Dissident Dies in Custody Amid Crackdown A Belarusian businessman, Valiantsin Shtermer, has died in a prison located in Shklow while serving a five-year sentence for insulting the authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko.Human rights organizations report that Shtermer was the eighth political prisoner to die in custody, underscoring the severe conditions facing detainees. The crackdown on dissent follows mass protests in response…

A political prisoner dies in Belarusian prison, human rights activists say
A human rights group says a Belarusian man has died in prison while serving a prison sentence for insulting the country’s authoritarian president. The Viasna Human Rights Center said Thursday that Valiantsin Shtermer, 61, died in a prison colony of…
"Viasna": Since 2020, at Least 135 Belarusians Have Been Convicted for Donatas to "Extremist Groups"
In Belarus, since 2020, at least 135 persons have been convicted by the "extremist groups" of their Donats, reporting to the human rights centre "Viasna", a total of 1,187 political prisoners in the country, stating that these persons have been convicted under articles 361-2 of the Criminal Code (financing extremist activities), 290-1 (financing terrorist activities), 361-3 (participation in the territory of a foreign State in armed formation or…
In a prison in the city of Shklov in eastern Belarus, 61-year-old businessman Valyancin Shtermer, sentenced to five years for insulting the country's authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko, died while serving his sentence, the AP agency reported, citing the human rights NGO Vyasna.
Belarusian human rights activists say Valentin Stermer, who was sentenced to five years in prison for eight online comments criticizing Russian aggression and insulting the Russian military, has died in prison. The 61-year-old businessman is accused of making insulting comments about President Lukashenko and linking him to a group considered “extremist.” Stermer reportedly suffered a stroke before being sent to the notoriously harsh Sklou PK-17 …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
Ownership
To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage