Belarusian Opposition Blogger Klimovich Dies In Prison, Says Rights Group

Belarusian blogger Mikalay Klimovich, who was imprisoned for posting an online caricature of the country’s authoritarian ruler, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, has died in a penal colony in the Vitebsk region, the Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights center reported on May 7. Klimovich had suffered a stroke and had heart surgery before being sentenced to one year in prison on February 28. Lukashenka’s regime instituted a crackdown on dissent following a disputed presidential election in August 2020 that handed him a sixth term in office. Opposition leaders and Western governments have said the poll was rigged. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.