Head of Belarusian exile group found dead in Kyiv

Vitaly Shishov, a Belarusian activist and head of a non-profit organization that helps Belarusians escape the authoritarian state, was found hanging in a park near his home in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. The Ukrainian police has initiated a murder investigation, suspecting it to be a deliberate murder.

Shishov was reported missing on Monday by his partner after he had failed to return home from a jog and did not respond to calls on his mobile phone.

Vitaly Shishov was the head of an NGO known as Belarusian House in Ukraine (BDU), it’s a Kyiv based NGO that helped Belarusians flee their country to avoid persecution by the totalitarian state.

His NGO had also reportedly helped Arseniy Zdanevich, the husband of Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsymanouskaya, flee from Belarus to Ukraine.

The police is considering the possibilities of a suicide or a murder disguised as suicide. Ukrainian national police chief Ihor Klymenko, in a briefing said Shishov had been found with abrasions on his nose and knee but it was too early to determine whether he had been attacked.

Shishov’s colleagues and those friends suspect he was targeted because of his opposition to Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian government. Shishov had left Belarus after participating in the anti-government protests last year and had felt being under constant surveillance. According to his colleagues, Shisov had reported of receiving several abduction and death threats.

The neighboring countries of Belarus including Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania have become safe havens for Belarusians fleeing Lukashenko’s crackdown.

Belarus’ self-exiled opposition leader was ‘devastated’ by Shishov’s death and empathized with his family in a tweet.

‘It is worrying that those who flee Belarus still can’t be safe,’ she added.

The regime of Alexander Lukashenko is fully determined to obliterate any form of opposition. Those who flee Belarus or oppose Lukashenko’s government are still in danger whether they are on land or in the air.