What is known about former political prisoner Raman Ramanau, who died at 43

Raman Ramanau. Photo from his Facebook

The death of 43-year-old former political prisoner Raman Ramanau has been reported. He was arrested in December 2023, and a year later, he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony under articles concerning "insulting Lukashenka" and "insulting a government official." Raman served his sentence in Ivacevichy colony No. 22 "Vaŭčyja Nory" and was released in August 2025.

Those who served time with him remember him as a calm and kind person.

"What happened to him, his imprisonment, Raman accepted with great dignity and calm. Understanding that he was no criminal. He never complained about being unjustly convicted. He perceived it as a period of life that simply needed to be endured. And preferably - with optimism," a former political prisoner who served time in the same colony told "Nasha Niva".

He recalls that Raman always tried to help those who had a harder time in the colony than others. In the same section as Raman lived political prisoner Vaclau Areshka — a public figure and activist of the independent REP trade union, sentenced to eight years in a penal colony. Areshka is already 71 years old, and during his imprisonment, he almost completely lost his sight. He practically cannot see and cannot even read letters independently.

"Raman always tried to help him with everyday things. For example, taking a blanket out for beating — in the colony, this needs to be done regularly. Areshka himself could barely do it anymore, and Raman took it upon himself. And he helped not only him," the interviewee recalls.

According to him, Raman was a very easy-going person, without any pomposity:

"He always understood jokes. For example, when they jokingly said that he must be from the 'House of Romanovs,' the imperial family, he would smile and reply: 'I'm from the simplest Romanovs'."

Raman graduated from BSUIR. Before his arrest, he worked with security and alarm systems and continued to work for the same company after his release.

"As I understood from his stories, he didn't just mechanically install things. He designed, proposed security schemes, some complex solutions. He always had a lot of work. Both colleagues and clients trusted him. He knew he would never be out of work," says our interlocutor.

After his release from the colony, Raman lived for less than a year.

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