Death in punishment cell: More questions than answers

Prisoner Andrei Kasperovich died in a punishment cell in penal colony No. 24 on April 24, 2012.

According to conclusions of a forensic medical examination, he committed suicide by hanging himself using a piece of a bed sheet. The conclusion was made by investigators after two examinations, Platform human rights organisation reports.

However, the forensic examinations left many questions unanswered. A year passed since the death of Andrei Kasperovich, but one cannot say exactly whether it was suicide or violent death.

The inmate had the last long-term meeting in early April 2012. He signed a document saying he didn't have suicidal thoughts during the visit. He asked his wife to prepare the document beforehand. Andrei Kasperovich warned his wife the situation was “really bad” and “everything is possible”.

Human rights activists note that strange things happened to the inmate in  the last six months before his death. Andrei Kasperovich, who earned 25 credits for 5.5 years in prison, suddenly turned into a “persistent violator of prison rules”. He was transformed to another penal colony and then died.

The first strange fact was an investigator's words that a decision was taken not to release Andrei's body to his relatives for funeral. Another unclear thing was the prohibition to take photos of the body in the morgue.

Andrei Kasperovich's wife went to the district department of the Investigation Committee in Barysau and talked to investigator Charnou about photographing.

Morgue attendant Belousov A. said to the investigator he had instructions and the order of the morgue head, who was in Minsk at that time.

Human rights activists believe the ban was imposed not to allow relatives to see injuries on the prisoner's body. Even some photos that were finally taken allow to suppose that Andrei Kasperovich, who spent the last days of his life in solitary confinement in penal colony No. 14 , was beaten.