Former Kalinoŭski Regiment fighter Vasil Verameichyk likely suffered a heart attack while in custody. He has been added to the humanitarian list of political prisoners with serious health problems, his wife Yauheniya told Nasha Niva.
Verameichyk’s health problems began while he was being held in pretrial detention. He complained of symptoms indicating heart problems, including chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, and swelling of his arms and legs. He did not receive medical assistance while in the detention center.
In 2025, Verameichyk was sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony and transferred to Penal Colony No. 17 in Shklou. There, he underwent medical examinations, received intravenous treatment, and was prescribed Aspicard, clopidogrel, atorvastatin and metoprolol.
His relatives also note that for a long time Verameichyk was not sent to the punishment cell in the colony, even though inmates convicted on less serious charges are frequently placed there. The colony’s administration reportedly said he had not been sent to the punishment cell because of his heart condition. The situation changed in the spring of 2026: based on restrictions affecting communication with him, his relatives believe he has been placed in the punishment cell several times.
According to Yauheniya, Verameichyk was due to be transferred to the hospital at Minsk Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in early June for heart surgery. Instead, he was placed in a punishment cell and later transferred to a cell-type facility.
Verameichyk was detained in Vietnam and extradited to Belarus in November 2024. He was sentenced to 13 years in a penal colony. Verameichyk was charged with participating in “extremist formations,” taking part in an armed conflict without authorization from the state, participating in a conspiracy to seize state power, facilitating “extremist activity,” and making threats and insults against law enforcement officers, Aliaksandr Lukashenka, and judges.
