U.N. Human Rights Experts Plead for Aid to Political Prisoner with Advanced Cancer in Belarus

The United Nations human rights experts have expressed grave concern over the denial of medical assistance to Pavel Kuchynski, a political prisoner in Belarus who has been diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma. Kuchynski's health has deteriorated in prison, where conditions make it impossible for him to receive a bone marrow transplant.

[Opening Paragraph]: The United Nations human rights experts have issued an urgent appeal to Belarusian authorities, requesting immediate assistance for political prisoner Pavel Kuchynski, who has been diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma and faces denial of medical care.

[Paragraph 2]: Kuchynski, a 29-year-old opposition activist, was arrested in 2022 and sentenced to four years and nine months in prison on charges of insulting the president and threatening violence.

[Paragraph 3]: Since his imprisonment, Kuchynski's health has declined sharply. He has been diagnosed with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, which has worsened due to the unsanitary and overcrowded conditions in prison.

[Paragraph 4]: The U.N. experts expressed alarm that Kuchynski is being denied access to the necessary medical treatment, including a bone marrow transplant, due to the lack of proper facilities in prison.

[Paragraph 5]: "In light of Mr. Kuchynski's severe health condition, please consider granting him pardon or remission of sentence or substituting his imprisonment for an alternative form of deprivation of liberty," said Anaïs Marin, the special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, in a statement.

[Paragraph 6]: The appeal also highlighted that Kuchynski is one of 1,401 political prisoners currently detained in Belarus, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.

[Paragraph 7]: According to human rights organizations, at least five of these political prisoners have died behind bars due to inadequate medical care and harsh prison conditions.

[Paragraph 8]: Pavel Sapelka of Viasna, a human rights group in Belarus, stated that Kuchynski's case exemplifies the Belarusian government's practice of imposing disproportionately harsh sentences, creating torturous conditions in prisons, and denying medical care to political prisoners.

[Paragraph 9]: Sapelka further warned that approximately 100 political prisoners have serious health problems and may be at risk of dying in prison if not provided with proper medical attention.

[Paragraph 10]: The U.N. experts have urged the Belarusian authorities to prioritize the health and well-being of political prisoners and to comply with their international obligations to provide adequate medical care to all detainees.