Jailed RFE/RL Journalist Losik Returned To Solitary Confinement In Belarus

Ihar Losik, a journalist with RFE/RL's Belarus Service who has been imprisoned since the summer of 2020 and has not been heard from in six weeks amid reports he attempted to commit suicide, has been returned to solitary confinement.

A source familiar with the circumstances of Losik's imprisonment in the northeastern Belarusian city of Navapolatsk informed RFE/RL's Belarus Service on April 5 that the journalist is again in solitary confinement.

RFE/RL is not revealing the identity of the source out of concerns for their safety and has been unable to determine from prison officials their reasons for placing Losik in solitary confinement.

Last month, when Losik was last in solitary confinement, he allegedly went on a hunger strike to protest an order and attempted to commit suicide on March 15 by cutting his wrist and neck. He was then transferred to a medical facility, where he received 68 stitches.

Losik was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December 2021 on several charges, including "organizing mass riots, incitement to social hatred," and several other charges that remain unclear.

The journalist has maintained his innocence and calls all charges against him politically motivated.

The husband of exiled opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, as well as four other bloggers and opposition politicians and activists, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms along with Losik.

SEE ALSO: Jailed Belarusian Activist Syarhey Tsikhanouski Begins New Trial, Faces Longer Prison Term

The arrests came amid the Belarusian authorities' brutal crackdown on political opposition and dissent following months of mass protests against the results of the 2020 presidential election that kept authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka in power. There have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment of detainees by security forces, and several people died during the crackdown.

Prison officials have not commented on Losik's status, and his family and lawyers have been unable to gain information about him or communicate with him since February.

His lawyer, Artsyom Syamyanau, was detained on March 20 and sentenced to 15 days in jail for allegedly disobeying police orders. On April 4, Syamyanau was re-arrested and sentenced to an additional 15 days in jail.

Losik's new lawyer, whose name is being withheld due to concerns for their safety, visited the Navapolatsk prison on April 3, but was not allowed to meet with Losik. The reason provided by a prison administrator was that Losik had not made a written request to meet with his legal representation.

The lawyer provided a request on behalf of her client, but that request was denied. A previous attempt by Losik's legal representation to meet with him on March 10 was similarly denied.

The new lawyer is Losik's fourth, the previous three all having been subjected to pressure from the authorities, including detentions. Losik's family has also been pressured.

In October 2022, his wife, Darya, was arrested and accused of providing an interview with the Poland-based Belsat TV channel, which has been officially labeled an extremist group by Minsk. On March 21, the Supreme Court rejected her appeal of the sentence.

She has been transferred to the women's prison in Homel.

SEE ALSO: Belarusian Supreme Court Rejects Darya Losik's Appeal Against Her Two-Year Prison Term

In February 2023, Ihar Losik was denied a scheduled visit in March with his parents, who currently have custody of Losik's 4-year-old daughter. The last known letter from Losik was received by his parents in February.

The United States has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ihar and Darya Losik, while RFE/RL President Jamie Fly has also demanded the couple's immediate release and condemned their imprisonment.