Blogger convicted for reacting on caricature of Lukashenka with a smiley face dies in Belarusian penal colony

Nikolai Klimovich, a political prisoner and blogger, who was sentenced to a year in prison for reacting with a smiley face on a caricature of Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, has died in Vitebsk Penal Colony.

Source: Belarusian human rights centre Vesna (Spring)

Details: According to human rights activists, 61-year-old Klimovich died in Vitebsk Penal Colony No. 3.

On 28 February, in the Court of Pinsky District and the city of Pinsk, he was sentenced to a year in prison for reacting to a caricature of Lukashenko in Odnoklassniki [a social media service used mainly in Russia and post-Soviet states], despite the fact that Klimovich had a Group II Heart disability, and had suffered a stroke and a complex heart surgery.

The court accused Klimovich of insulting Lukashenko under Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Belarus in a satirical image that he allegedly posted on social media. In Odnoklassniki, the blogger reacted with "funny" to the picture, so the cartoon was placed on the feed of his page. According to Klimovich, he did not intend to distribute these cartoons, but simply laughed at them.

The man was detained in the courtroom, as he was at large before the verdict was passed. Before the verdict, the blogger said that he could die behind bars.

On 21 April, the Brest Oblast Court upheld the verdict. Soon, Nikolai was transferred to Vitebsk Colony No. 3 – he was taken all over Belarus. He stayed in the colony for about two weeks.

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