A Belarusian activist, Vitaly Shishov, has been found dead in a park in Kiev, Ukraine, after going missing on Monday, August 2, 2021.
UK Metro reports that Shishov who led a Kiev-based organisation that helps Belarusians fleeing persecution was reported missing by his partner after not returning home from a run.
The Ukrainian police have since launched an investigation into a possible murder disguised as a suicide.
Police said they had launched a criminal case for suspected murder but would investigate all possibilities including murder disguised as a suicide.
“Belarusian citizen Vitaly Shishov, who disappeared yesterday in Kyiv, was found hanged today in one of Kyiv’s parks, not far from his place of residence,” the police statement said.
Friends of Shishov reported that the activist had been followed recently, said Belarusian journalist Tadeusz Gizcan in a tweet on Monday.
The Belarusian House in Ukraine provides support to new arrivals in finding accommodation, jobs and legal advice, its website says.
Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania – neighbours of Belarus – are the main destinations for those fleeing persecution, following the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in August 2020.
