September 4, Pozirk. Palina Šarenda-Panasiuk’s health has deteriorated sharply and she may be “dying in prison,” her husband Andrej Šarenda said.
She experiences sharp abdominal pain but is given only painkillers and is denied necessary medical care, he noted. She suffers from chronic pancreatitis, a disease which damages the pancreas and changes the structure of its tissues irreversibly.
The diagnosis requires a strict diet and constant medical supervision, which is impossible behind bars. Šarenda-Panasiuk’s detention conditions equal a death sentence, her husband said.
His statement comes hours after the Belarusian ruler pardoned 30 political prisoners in addition to dozens released earlier.
Šarenda-Panasiuk, an outspoken critic of the government, said in March she had appealed to Alaksandar Łukašenka for pardon.
The jailed activist was recently transferred from a Homiel detention facility to a pre-trial detention center in Rečyca, Homiel region, pending her third trial for allegedly disobeying prison authorities.
Inmates there have to sleep on the floor, as there are no mattresses and no toilets in the bug-infested cells. Authorities want to “humiliate and exhaust Palina, to undermine her already weak health. Her life is truly in danger,” her exiled husband said.
Three years ago, the activist was given two years in prison after the judge found her guilty of violence against a police officer and insulting officials.
She subsequently received two additional one-year terms for allegedly disobeying the prison administration.
