Missing Belarusian activist found hanged in park in premeditated murder

A missing Belarusian activist was found hanged in a park in Kyiv a day after he failed to return home from a run, Ukrainian police said.

Vitaly Shishov, who led a Kyiv-based organisation that helps Belarusians fleeing persecution, had been reported missing by his partner on Monday after not returning home from a run.

His body was found in a park near his home in the Ukrainian capital early today.

Police said they had launched a criminal case for suspected murder but would investigate all possibilities - including murder disguised as suicide.

A police statement said: "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."

Mr Shishov was found hanged in a park in Kyiv, where he was living after leaving Belarus ( vvshishov/Instagram)

Belarusian journalist Taduesz Gizcan claims police traced Mr Shishov's phone "to no avail" and his friends said the activist has been followed recently.

Mr Gizcan wrote on Tuesday that Mr Shishov was found hanged in a park and police and police were probing it as a possible case of premeditated murder.

Mr Shishov led the Belarusian House in Ukraine (BDU) group, which helps Belarusians find accommodation, jobs and legal advice, according to its website.

The organisation said on Monday it was not able to contact Mr Shishov.

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It said he had left his residence at 9am and was supposed to have returned an hour later.

Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have become havens for Belarusians during a crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko following a disputed election last year.

The Belarusian authorities have characterised anti-government protesters as criminals or violent revolutionaries backed by the West, and described the actions of law enforcement agencies as adequate and necessary.

Mr Shishov's death came after a Belarusian athlete at the Tokyo Olympics said she was taken to Haneda airport against her will after criticising her team's coaching staff.

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Sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya said officials were trying to force her to board a flight back to Belarus via Istanbul.

She sought help from police at the airport and took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo.

Her supporters said she had received a Polish visa and will travel to Poland on Wednesday.

It is thought that she planned to request asylum in Germany or Austria.

The European Union welcomed Poland's decision to grant a visa and said the repatriation attempt was further evidence of "brutal repression" by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter the Lukashenko government's "actions violate the Olympic spirit, are an affront to basic rights, and cannot be tolerated."

In May, police in Belarus arrested dissident journalist Roman Protasevich after the authorities intercepted a Ryanair flight in the Eastern European country's airspace and forced it to land in Minsk, causing international outrage.

The 26-year-old, who stands accused of organising riots, could face up to 15 years in jail if convicted.

Western countries condemned Lukashenko over the forced landing of the flight, which was travelling from Athens to Vilnius, and stepped up economic sanctions against Belarus.

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