‘One Heard Cries From Witold’s Cell’

A former political prisoner gave details about the death of Witold Ashurak.

Former political prisoner Viktar Parkhimchyk, like Witold Ashurak, was serving his sentence in Shklou. He shared with Radio Svaboda the information he had managed to get in the colony about the death of political prisoner.

Witold Ashurak was detained in September 2020 and later sentenced to five years in prison for participating in protests. He served his sentence in the Shklou colony. On May 21, 2021 Ashurak died behind bars under unclear circumstances. A criminal case on Witold Ashurak's death was not opened. According to the official version, he died of "cardiac arrest". The prisoner's relatives and associates believe in the violent nature of his death.

"They sought his obedience, but it didn't work with Witold."

Former political prisoner Viktar Parkhimchik served his sentence in the "prison-like open settlement" in the Kamenetz district when Ashurak died. For refusing to walk 25 kilometers to work, he was transferred to the Shklou colony, where Witold died. Parkhimchik spent four months there, from the spring of 2022 until the late summer. After the release, the former political prisoner left Belarus.

"I wasn't in the Shklou colony when Witold was there, but his death had a great resonance among the prisoners," Parkhimchik says. - I talked to many people who remembered Witold, who witnessed the events that happened to him. Now everyone is silent in the colony. They are afraid to say something about this death. Why? To stay alive. They told that Witold was subjected to pressure from the moment he arrived in the colony. Right after quarantine he went to the punishment cell. The prison guards don't need a reason for that. He didn't get shaved; he didn't say hello. There is no control over the authenticity of violations. There is an impression that the Prosecutor's Office gives carte blanche to the prison guards. They had the task then to put pressure on political prisoners, and now they have this task too".

Viktar Parkhimchik also says that he "noticed no people in a genuine sense" among the colony employees, because "an ordinary person with basic values would not be able to work there".

"There is a negative selection among them. Some prison guards "press" political with more enthusiasm, show initiative, some - with less, because it is necessary. But everyone without exception is engaged in falsification of violations, deliberate discrimination against political prisoners. According to my personal observations, not all prison guards are directly involved in beating, but a separate part of officers," the former prisoner says.

"I got the feeling that Witold had leadership skills," Parkhimchik adds. - He showed his character. That's why they "pressured" him, to, as they said themselves, "cut him to size". People who were sitting in the cell next door to the punishment cell, where Witold was, told that they heard Witold screaming and the voice of Siarhei Karcheuski, head of the regime unit. I can't say they intended to kill Witold. I just don't know. He may have been badly beaten and died of injuries," the former political prisoner says.

Journalists from the Alliance of Investigators of Belarus also spoke about Siarhei Karcheuski as the perpetrator of Ashurak's death.

In addition to Karcheuski, they called the head of the colony Aliaksandr Karnienka, the head of the medical unit Natallia Dobroderevets, the colony psychiatrist Ihar Kandratsenkau, doctor Tatstsiana Razvenkova and the duty assistant of the colony Dzyanis Sazonau guilty.

"When the prosecutor arrived, the beatings stopped for a while."

"I got the feeling that they couldn't get "obedience" from Witold, it didn't work with him," Viktar Parkhimchik believes. - He was a decent man, principled. It was harder to subdue such a man. Different people told me that after Ashurak's death prosecutors came to the colony. They gathered political prisoners and asked whether they had any questions or complaints. But who will say anything when prison guards are there? Prosecutors themselves understand that. If the aim is to expose violations by the prison administration, no such questions are asked in the presence of prison guards. As soon a prosecutor leaves, an active prisoner will immediately be subject to punishment. Obviously, the prosecutors just weren't interested in the real situation."

The former political prisoner also says that the beating of prisoners in the colony stopped for a while after Witold Ashurak's death, there were only isolated cases. Viktar Parkhimchik says only few people among prisoners carefully discuss the death of Witold Ashurak now.

"People understand if they talk a lot, they may follow Witold's fate," the former prisoner says.

He believes that only an open criminal case and real checks could find out the cause of the political prisoner's death. "I don't know for what purpose he was beaten or killed. Although their goal is the same - to put pressure on political prisoners," said Viktar.

According to the former political prisoner, he himself was put in the punishment cell many times. "One does not need any reason for that. At 14:40 we, political prisoners, had to clean the room. The so-called "goat" (a convict who cooperates with the administration of the colony and often does the work of controlling other prisoners) established that only political prisoners cleaned the premises. At 2:40 p.m. there was supposed to be another cleaning. However, the squad chief gave the order to line up. When we did it, he asked why we didn't clean the room. We said we were ordered to line up. Political prisoners automatically went to the punishment cell, as the usual prisoners were not ordered to clean. All the reports drawn on me were "fake". I had to agree with them and sign," Viktar says.

"People get beaten up for nothing, especially political ones."

"After Witold's death, prisoners were almost never beaten for a while," says Viktar Parkhimchik. - But in September (2021) I saw two badly beaten guys in the punishment cell. One guy, a non-political one, was badly beaten, because he was transferred to the colony. He wanted the transfer, because a day in the colony goes by two days. He was severely beaten and thrown into the punishment cell. No one should see a severely beaten person," Viktar says.

The purpose of the pressure, according to the former inmate, is to keep a large number of prisoners in complete control. The second goal, he says, is the so-called "general line of the party". Thus, it is easier to keep a large number of ordinary citizens of the country in fear of doing something and going to jail.

"I asked one (colony employee): "Why are you doing this?" He answered "we're going to beat you up so hard for you had no desire to return again," Viktar added.

According to his observations, those who were in the entourage of Siarhei Tsikhanouski are severely pressed in the colonies. "There is a personal grudge of one person against Tsikhanouski and his entourage. That's why people are being pressured and transferred to indoor prisons. This is how they get their revenge," the former prisoner says.