Colony holds Kaleśnikava in internal prison – report

January 23, Pozirk. The administration of Women’s Colony No 4 in Homiel has placed political prisoner Maryja Kaleśnikava in an internal prison (PKT), the local site hrodna.life reported yesterday, citing an unnamed source.

It did not say how long or on what grounds they will hold her there.

“When she went to a sanitary unit, six colony officers escorted her. She is a size 42 or 44 after losing weight. Her black hair has grown into a bob. Maryja smiles,” the site said.

It also reported that Volha Majorava, serving a sentence in the same colony for an alleged conspiracy to seize power, has “a throat issue” but has not received medical care. She does not receive letters and cannot receive money transfers from her son, according to the article.

“The source claims that the accounting department does not give Majorava the money credited to her account. We know that Volha has been listed among ‘terrorists’ and banned from getting money transfers,” hrodna.life said.

Officers deliberately infect female political prisoners with scabies, but the colony’s doctors call it “an allergy,” the source said.

Majorava is a former member of the United Civic Party. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a high-profile case against Mikałaj Aŭtuchovič, a Soviet-Afghan War veteran and businessman. A judge found her guilty of five offenses.

Kaleśnikava led the campaign of banker-turned-politician Viktar Babaryka during the 2020 presidential election. After his arrest, Kaleśnikava, Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja and Vieranika Capkała campaigned together against Alaksandar Łukašenka.

On September 6, 2021, a judge sentenced Kaleśnikava to 11 years for allegedly plotting a coup.

In 2022, she was hospitalized with peritonitis, a complication of a perforated ulcer.

She has been incommunicado for about 10 months, her sister Taćciana Chomič said in December 2023.