Virus besets Belarus prisons filled with president's critics A wave of COVID-19 has engulfed prisons in Belarus that are packed with people in custody for demonstrating against the nation’s authoritarian presidentKYIV, Ukraine -- A wave of COVID-19 has engulfed prisons in Belarus that are packed with people in custody for demonstrating against the nation’s authoritarian president, and some of the protesters who contracted the coronavirus while incarcerated accuse authorities of neglecting or even encouraging infections. Lisetsky must return to prison to serve the remaining seven days of his sentence after he’s discharged from the hospital. The day after he left prison, Liava said, he tested positive for COVID-19, and a CT scan showed that his lungs were badly affected. He said he and four of his colleagues who were arrested all contracted the virus in custody. “We must cry out loud about an outbreak of COVID-19 in jails overcrowded with political prisoners.”———Follow AP’s virus pandemic coverage at:https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemichttps://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccinehttps://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Source: ABC News December 26, 2020 08:26 UTC