The head of a group helping people who have fled from Belarus has been found dead near is home in Ukraine. Vitaly Shishov was reported missing by his partner on Monday after failing to return from a jog.
His body was found hanged in a park in Kyiv on Tuesday. Police have opened a murder inquiry.
Police said that they were investigating whether he had been killed and his death made to look like a suicide. Police added that have recovered Mr. Shishov’s mobile phone and personal effects from the crime scene and are asking people who knew him to get in touch with information about possible threats to his life.
Vitaly Shishov led the Belarusian House in Ukraine (BHU), a group helping people who left Belarus, where opposition to the government is stifled.
A colleague, Joeri Shchuchko, said that Ukrainian security officers and police have privately warned the BHU about threats to activists. “They said we should watch ourselves because a Belarusian KGB [secret police] network was active here,” Mr. Shchuchko said.
The BHU made a statement that said, “We were warned repeatedly by local sources and our people in Belarus about possible provocations, going as far as kidnapping and assassination. Vitaly reacted to those warnings with stoicism and humour.”
Meanwhile a Belarusian Olympic sprinter who feared for her safety was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland and left Japan on Wednesday.
Sources: BBC
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