Юрий Белько. Фото: spring96.org
Political prisoner Yury Bialko, who was sentenced to nine years in prison, is being held under prison conditions in poor physical health, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports.
Yury Bialko, 43, was detained in September 2020. He was charged with preparing for mass riots, destruction of property and illegal possession of weapons. The court sentenced him to nine years in a maximum-security penal colony. It was the longest sentence handed down in the “chat case.” Since September 2020, eight political prisoners have been held behind bars in connection with the Telegram chat case.
During his imprisonment, Bialko was repeatedly placed in a punishment cell and a cell-type detention facility, and his detention conditions were tightened.
The political prisoner has been held under prison conditions for his fifth year. He is currently in Prison No. 8 in Zhodzina. A former political prisoner familiar with the situation told Viasna that Bialko has lost a lot of weight and looks significantly worse than he did before his imprisonment.
Before his arrest, Bialko began suffering from headaches due to severe stress following the death of his four-year-old son. He was prescribed regular examinations, including MRI scans. According to the source, his condition has deteriorated in prison: the headaches have returned, his blood pressure is rising and he has spinal problems. The source said one of the prisoners heard Bialko moaning in pain in his cell. It is unknown whether the political prisoner is receiving the necessary medical care.
“He is suffering from pain in prison, and he is in very poor physical condition. I very much hope that Yury will be included in the next lists of those to be released. He needs to be gotten out of there because he is exhausted,” the source said.
According to Viasna, Bialko is allowed to purchase goods at the facility’s shop for only one basic unit per month. He is also allowed one parcel weighing up to two kilograms per year. During his five years in prison, he has not been allowed a single family visit.
Yury Bialko is a trained air defense engineer and graduated from the Military Academy. He worked as a sales manager. He became a defendant in the so-called “chat case,” which initially involved 12 people. The men were accused of participating in Telegram chats of a “radical nature,” preparing for mass riots and damaging property. Bialko was also charged with illegal weapons-related activities following a search of his garage.