Ales Pushkin, a controversial critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, renowned for his protest art against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was found dead this week under unexplained circumstances while serving his sentence in a Belarus prison, as reported by RadarOnline.com.
The 57-year-old protest artist, who gained notoriety for his political performances, was found lifeless during his current five-year incarceration term in Belarus. Pushkin first encountered imprisonment in 1999 after he controversially deposited a load of feces outside President Lukashenko's office in Minsk, according to the Daily Star.
The political performer again ran afoul of the law in March 2021. He was arrested and sent to prison on charges of "stirring hatred and desecrating state symbols," following his alleged painting of a Belarusian nationalist who collaborated with Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Following an unusual courtroom display where Pushkin disrobed during his most recent sentencing hearing, he was subjected to 13 days in solitary confinement.
Janina Demuch, Pushkin's spouse, verified the news of her husband's sudden and inexplicable demise in the intensive care unit of the Belarus prison where he was serving his term.
In the wake of his unanticipated death, Viasna, a Belarusian human rights organization, revealed that Pushkin was not known to be ill or have any medical conditions.
Belarusian opposition leader in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, joined the voices confirming Pushkin's death. She suggested that the artist was "another tragic casualty of the Lukashenko regime."
In her statement on Wednesday, Tsikhanouskaya mentioned, "It is clear that Pushkin has become another tragic victim of the Lukashenko regime. Thousands of political prisoners are suffering in Belarusian prisons for participating in pro-democracy protests, supporting Ukraine, or merely voicing their convictions."
As previously reported by RadarOnline.com, Lukashenko stands as the only European ally of Putin amidst his ongoing offensive against Ukraine, which has lasted nearly 17 months. Lukashenko, who has not committed his own forces to the Ukrainian frontlines, recently permitted Putin to station ten nuclear aircraft carriers in Belarus.
Lukashenko affirmed he would "not hesitate" to "push the big red button," referring to the control of several Russian nuclear weapons now in his hands. "God forbid, I will have to make a decision on the use of these weapons in modern times," Lukashenko stated in June, "But there will be no hesitation if only there is aggression against us."
Recently, Lukashenko played a key role in securing amnesty in Minsk for Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin's erstwhile mercenary leader-turned-rebel, after nearly overthrowing Moscow last month.