Dissident doctor leaves Belarus

August 6, Pozirk. Uładzimir Martaŭ, an intensive care doctor who faced politically-motivated persecution in Belarus, managed to leave the country for Lithuania, Andrej Stryžak of the BySol solidarity foundation has said on Telegram.
The outspoken critic of the Belarusian health care system was arrested in the Russian city of Murino on May 14 and transferred to Belarus, where he was held in a detention cell in Viciebsk.
Belarusian authorities reportedly ordered the arrest as a preventive measure, but the reasons are unknown.
Martaŭ had worked at the Viciebsk Emergency Hospital since 2003, where he headed the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Department for five years.
He criticized the government’s handling of COVID-19, including disruptions in the supply of oxygen to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
Martaŭ linked the disruptions to the deaths of several patients at the end of 2020.
He was fired in early April 2021, following Alaksandar Łukašenka’s remark that he “should be put in his place.”
Martaŭ abandoned his healthcare career and adopted an active civic stance on social media, denouncing violence by the authoritarian government.
He left Belarus more than two years ago after serving a week in jail for displaying the banned white-red-white flag on his social media profile picture.
Reprisals target exiles, 2020 protesters, regime critics’ online activities
- EconomyRussia accounts for 90 percent of Belarusian investment abroad in H1The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsInvestigative Committee files criminal charges against exiled rock musicianThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- Politics, Security
- SocietyBelarus border guards thwart two drug smuggling attemptsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Security, SocietyMan arrested in Poland for attacking elderly Belarusian taxi driver over his accentThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, SocietyBelarus’ employed workforce declined slightly in JuneThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- EconomyDomestic manufactures accounted for 60.6 percent of new car sales in first seven months, Association saysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyBelarus ranks eighth in price growth among post-Soviet countries in January-JulyThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security, SocietyAttempts at irregular entry from Belarus into EU countries hit three-week low on August 24The material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus’ top diplomat, Serbia's envoy reaffirm commitment to dialogueThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyPoland arrests Belarusian in $813,000 cigarette smuggling caseThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, SocietyLabor productivity rises 1.1 percent, real pay 7.5 percent in H1The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics, SecurityBelarus launches 17-day air defense drillThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsŁukašenka announces upcoming meeting with PutinThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja plays up value of independence in anniversary messageThe material is available only to POZIRK+



