The Belarusian Social Democratic Party said on February 20 that its member, Ihar Lednik, died at the age of 63 in a correctional colony where he was serving a three-year prison term on a charge of insulting the country's authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka. The cause of death is not known. Lednik's state of health significantly worsened in prison, where he had a surgery on his stomach, his colleagues said. The Vyasna human rights group said Lednik is the fifth political prisoner to die in a Belarusian prison in less than two years. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Ihar Lednik Is Latest Political Prisoner To Die In Belarusian Custody
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