Russian citizen Andrey Podnebenny, convicted in Belarus under 'extremist' articles, died in a Belarusian colony in Mogilev, his mother Valentina Podnebennaya reported on Facebook*.
'Some scoundrel deprived him of freedom and then of life. The best are leaving. The only solace is that no one else will be able to physically or psychologically abuse my son,' she wrote.
The cause of Podnebenny's death is unknown. He was serving his sentence in IK-15 in Mogilev. In the same colony, in November 2024, Russian citizen Dmitry Shletgauer, who was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment, died. He spent only about a month in the colony.
Podnebenny had lived in Belarus since he was 6 years old. He was arrested in 2021. In June 2022, the court sentenced him to 15 years in a high-security colony, and then added another year and 8 months of imprisonment for 'aiding extremist activities', insulting Alexander Lukashenko, and inciting social hatred.
According to the human rights center 'Viasna', Podnebenny is already the ninth political prisoner to die in colonies and correctional institutions in Belarus since 2020.
* The owner of Facebook, Meta, is recognized in Russia as an 'extremist' organization.
Photo: Human Rights Center 'Viasna'