At the beginning of this summer, a prisoner died in the Detention Center for Offenders (DCO) at Okrestina Street in Minsk.The official cause of death remains undisclosed, but witnesses claim that he passed away due to the denial of essential medical care.

The man who did not leave the Detention Center for Offenders (DCO) was named Andrei Makarevich. According to his cellmates, he was an ordinary guy when he came into the cell. “He was a quiet person, always sitting in the corner, mostly sleeping in the cell. Initially, he was arrested for a petty theft – he stole a pack of dumplings and either bread or milk. Just something to eat. He worked as a furniture maker or repaired shoes – he had some simple job. He said he was working, but the money ran out, and he had to steal food,” Andrei’s cellmates said.

Andrei Makarevich occasionally requested an inhaler from the doctors as he suffered from bronchial asthma. However, they did not always provide him with one. On one particular day, when his inhaler ran out, the doctor refused to give him a new one and left the medication with the guard instead. She instructed Andrei to call the guard every time he needed to use the inhaler.

As a consequence, Andrei spent a whole day without access to an inhaler, and it was only when the next medical shift arrived that he finally received one However, there was a strong draft in the cell that caused everyone inside to fall ill. Given the overcrowded conditions, Makarevich, as an asthmatic, had no choice but to constantly sleep on the floor. Under such circumstances, сomprehensive health care under these conditions was out of the question.

As a result, Andrei’s condition worsened, and one night he got up, went to the toilet, washed his hands, and collapsed right next to the sink. Neither his cellmates, nor the guards, nor the soon-arrived ambulance were able to resuscitate him. It turned out that Andrei Makarevich did not survive for one or two more days – his arrest term was already coming to an end.

Our House

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