"The lights went out — and it all happened." New testimonies about the death of Andrei Padnyabenny in a penal colony

Tense relations with the squad's active members and the last placement in Shiza after a search

A former political prisoner (name withheld for security reasons) told human rights defenders that he saw Andrei on the day of his death — September 3, 2025.

According to him, Andrei smiled, inquired about news, asking, "When will everyone be released?" Andrei planned to go to a concert to meet other political prisoners but didn't come — he was placed in a punishment isolation cell (Shiza).

Another former prisoner, speaking anonymously, said that Andrei was placed in Shiza after a search during which his personal belongings were removed. As another political prisoner notes, this often becomes a pretext to "rummage through political prisoners' belongings" and issue them a violation.

"This is a check of the prisoners' belongings against the inventory. It's a legal opportunity to put a political prisoner in Shiza if there's a corresponding 'order' for him."

According to the prisoner, Andrei had tense relations with Vadim Meliukh, the quartermaster (head of household) of squad 18. Other prisoners believed that the political prisoner was placed in Shiza precisely with the assistance of this quartermaster.

According to other prisoners' observations, in recent times, Andrei received more attention from staff. Prisoners who communicated with him in recent months said that he was clearly not in the best moral state, had withdrawn, and read more books.

After his death, his belongings were taken away at night, and rumors were spread that Andrei was allegedly being transferred to a prison regime to cover up the incident.

Another political prisoner also anonymously stated that at the moment it happened, the lights in the colony went out. According to his estimates, this could have lasted up to half an hour. During this time, Andrei committed suicide.

As a former political prisoner recounted, based on conversations in the colony, Andrei might have hanged himself on the bars in Shiza, using his own trousers.

They tried to "push him into a low status"

Valiantsin Stefanovich, a human rights defender from "Viasna," who was held in Mogilev penal colony No. 15 from May 2023 to October 2024, spoke about his acquaintance with Andrei Padnyabenny:

"I met Andrei on the very first day of my transfer from Shiza to the squad. I ended up in Shiza on the third day of my stay in the colony's 'quarantine.' After I had brought my belongings and mattress into the squad and was waiting for further placement, I went out into the local area (sector). Our sector had three squads — 3, 4, and 14. I could communicate with convicted persons from these squads. Two political prisoners came out to me, among whom was Andrei Padnyabenny. They said they were very happy to meet me personally and had been waiting for me to get out of Shiza. They gave me some advice on staying in the squad and daily matters, and also asked if I needed anything.

Andrei was a tall, lean guy, significantly younger than me. He seemed quite friendly and open. Later, I spoke with him a few more times, but I didn't maintain regular contact because our 'schedules' didn't coincide due to him and me often being in Shiza. Then Andrei was transferred to squad 18, which was located opposite our sector."

As the human rights defender explains, squad 18 primarily held pensioners or prisoners who worked "light jobs" due to health conditions. They went to the "industrial zone" twice a week — to clean cables. There were very few political prisoners in that squad.

"Andrei worked as a cleaner for the local area, so he wasn't taken to the industrial zone, and consequently, I didn't have the opportunity to talk to him. We only greeted each other with a nod from a distance. But information and rumors spread quickly in the colony. From other political prisoners, I learned that he was often in Shiza, that they tried to 'push him into a low status,' and that allegedly, in protest against such actions, he bit his hand. According to unwritten rules, you must get out of such a cell by any means within a few hours. I can assume that he had reasons to do so, because such actions by prisoners — demonstrative self-harm, swallowing objects, and so on — are a known form of protest against the lawlessness of prison administration. Clearly, Andrei was protesting against something in this way."

The human rights defender learned about Andrei Padnyabenny's death after his release — in March 2026. Valiantsin draws attention to the fact that the lights were off during the incident:

When I was in PKT (cell-type premises) and Shiza in colony No. 15, there were emergency power outages, sometimes for quite a long time. During this period, the surveillance cameras installed in the cells also did not work.

Valiantsin Stefanovich also notes that the chains on which bunks are attached in the colony were referred to as an easy means of suicide:

Wrap the chains around your neck and hang — the weight of your own body is enough for self-strangulation, even if your feet remain on the floor.

But the main question that requires a thorough investigation, the human rights defender emphasizes, is the reasons for Andrei's action.

"It is important to note that imprisonment and a long sentence in themselves are strong psychological factors. Many convicted persons are in a difficult psychological state, often falling into depression and despair. This can especially happen when encountering difficult life circumstances — divorce from a wife, which is a common occurrence, especially with long sentences, or the death of loved ones. In such a situation, convicted persons need professional psychological help, which is practically non-existent in PC No. 15. The colony staff includes several psychologists, but this help is very formal and is mainly limited to dispensing sedatives or just valerian pills."

According to the human rights defender, Andrei Padnyabenny was on two prophylactic registers: No. 10 — "prone to extremist and other destructive activities" and No. 7 — "prone to suicide and self-harm."

"According to the testimonies of other convicted persons, Andrei had suicidal moods and thoughts and clearly required psychological help. In the case of political prisoners, the situation is complicated by the fact that the administration's task is not to help them, but to exert constant pressure on them, create the harshest possible conditions, and organize various provocations. In such an atmosphere, the psychological state deteriorates even further. In addition, political prisoners were afraid to turn to psychologists because they did not trust them. They feared that the information they provided would be passed on to the colony administration, and that they might also be given another prophylactic registration — No. 7, 'prone to suicide and self-harm'."

They worked with him more harshly than with others

A former political prisoner (name withheld for security reasons), who was in the same squad — the fourth — with Andrei for some time and calls him his comrade, believes that he was driven to suicide by the pressure exerted on him:

"The situation is complex. Many believe that he was a depressive person prone to suicide. But I have a different opinion. I am sure that he was pushed to suicide. They 'worked' with him, meaning they put pressure on him, more harshly than on others. This was due to the fact that he set fire to the car of some DVP (Department of Penal Enforcement) chief. From above, they asked to 'cheer him up' a bit. He was intimidated with a 'low status'. He had already cut his veins before, so he was not assigned a 'low status'."

When Andrei Padnyabenny died in Shiza on September 3, 2025, our interviewee was in another cell. He recalls how it happened:

"Everything happened in the strangest way possible. For some time, the lights in Shiza went out — and it all happened. But there's a generator in the isolation ward — the lights can't go out there. At that moment, I was also in Shiza. But I didn't hear any panic in the corridor — nothing was happening. The lights went out — they shone a flashlight. They asked: "Is everyone alive?" We answered that everyone was. Then the lights came back on, but nothing happened. And when I got out of Shiza, I found out that a person had committed suicide at that time.

Committing suicide because you were given seven days for two apples, when you've already served a hundred days, is maximally strange. According to the police version, which they spread through activists, Andrei allegedly received a letter and read something in it. But a letter couldn't have arrived in Shiza. If he really received a letter, why didn't he commit suicide immediately in the squad? That's an emotional outburst, an instantaneous desire. It's as if he was waiting to be sent to Shiza, and then the lights would go out... I don't believe it. Probably, it was another attempt at humiliation that he couldn't withstand. You can push someone to suicide even with a word.

A similar situation occurred with Dzmitry Shletgauer, who didn't even manage to get to the squad and hanged himself in Shiza. They also worked harshly with him. The police also spread rumors that it happened because of a letter he received. I think it happened due to pressure and he was also driven to suicide. Everyone has their own threshold for perceiving pressure. But I didn't know Dzmitry personally. I only heard that a political prisoner hanged himself."

The former political prisoner remembers Andrei fondly and hopes that those involved in his death will be held accountable:

"Andrei was a very strong and strong-willed guy. He was very kind. It hurt me when I found out what happened to him... To break him, one had to try hard. I remember how, after being transferred to another squad, he said with a smile that he was unlucky to be the only political prisoner in the squad. He presented it not with a dejected look, but with a smile.

At the same time, Andrei was apathetic. He always had such sad eyes, as if the person had already served 20 years. As if one day for him was three.

This situation cannot be ignored or forgotten. Personally, I will not forgive this. If it takes 20 years to restore justice, I will wait and preserve this information. I will do everything possible to ensure that those responsible for Andrei's death are punished."

Andrei did not look like a terrorist or an instigator

Former political prisoner, writer Aliaksandr Fiaduta, in a column for Belarusian PEN, spoke about meeting Andrei:

"Andrei did not resemble a terrorist or an instigator. Tall, calm, intelligent, he apparently read a lot and thought even more.

Our squads were next door: the sixth was mine and the eighteenth was Andrei's. We often talked. Mostly about some political and economic problems, which he understood much better than me. But it always ended the same way. Andrei asked me:

— Iosifovich, what do you think, when will this end?

Andrei was not taken to the 'industrial zone'. He swept the yard. We were colleagues: I was listed as a cleaner in the workshop."

He gave me his green tea and watch

Former political prisoner Siarhei Ivantsou, who for some time was held with Andrei Padnyabenny in squad 18, recounted:

"On August 30, 2025, I returned to colony No. 15 after another transfer to the hospital. I was immediately placed in 'quarantine.' I was moved to squad 18 on September 10. In total, there were only three of us political prisoners in that squad. I looked: only two of us were there, and Andrei was gone. I asked other prisoners where Andrei was, and looked around. And two 'white-collar' prisoners said: 'Quiet!' — and pointed a finger to their lips. Then one of them pointed a finger down. I thought that meant he was placed in Shiza. But when he saw that I didn't understand, he pointed a finger up. I then asked: 'Was he taken to headquarters?' I didn't understand what was happening. Then they quietly told me that Andrei had died — he hanged himself in Shiza.

I was very shocked by this news — I was speechless. The colony administration actively hid this information. It was even forbidden to talk about it. This story struck me, so when I found his tag in the wardrobe, I hid it with me. Of course, if it had been found, I would have immediately gone to Shiza. For a couple of weeks, I carried it in my gloves, and then it got lost. But it was very dear to me."

Siarhei recalls how he befriended Andrei in the squad and talks about his symbolic last gift:

"Before I went to the hospital, he gave me his green tea and a watch. I was surprised: 'What, you don't need a watch?' That's a great value for the zone. You could exchange it, for example, for many cigarettes, which are good currency. I was surprised and thought he was just a good guy. When I heard the news about Andrei, I remembered his gift. He probably was preparing or knew it would happen."

The former political prisoner says that Andrei had family problems in his life:

"When we went for phone calls in August, before my departure to the hospital, Andrei hadn't been able to reach his mother for several weeks. He knew she was sick and concluded that everything was very bad. It was clear that he was very worried. Together with another political prisoner, we constantly reassured him. His wife had left him earlier. I don't know if this could have influenced what happened, but such a fact existed."

When he was transferred from the stage to Shiza, he had a panic attack

As one of the former political prisoners (name withheld for security reasons), who was held in Mogilev correctional colony No. 15, notes, the issue of the psychological state of prisoners and their conditions of detention is critically important. The former political prisoner, who knew Andrei Padnyabenny and talked with him, and also has information about the death of another political prisoner — Dzmitry Shletgauer, shared his thoughts on how the system drives people to the extreme.

According to the former political prisoner, thoughts of suicide appeared in Andrei already during his first placement in Shiza.

"Andrei recounted that when he arrived at PC No. 15 and was placed in Shiza, he had thoughts of suicide. Because you arrive at the colony and don't know what awaits you. At the same time, in the pre-trial detention center and during transfer, you hear various horrific stories, and then you immediately end up in a solitary cell in Shiza with terrible cold that doesn't let you sleep at night. You do push-ups or squats to warm up, pass out for 20 minutes, and then wake up again from the cold.

Andrei recounted that when he was transferred from the stage to Shiza, he had a panic attack, because it seemed to him that they simply wanted to kill or torture him.

Although later, as he said, he understood that it was then a formal placement in Shiza, through which most political prisoners go after arriving at the colony."

The interlocutor mentions that Andrei Padnyabenny found isolation and separation from his family difficult to bear.

"When Andrei was placed in Shiza, it was psychologically difficult for him, because three children were waiting for him at liberty. When he was in the squad, he could call them or see them via video link."

Nevertheless, the pressure on the political prisoner and his placements in isolation continued, leading to more serious consequences.

"This was not Andrei's first suicide attempt. Initially, he was in one squad, where he was periodically placed in Shiza. As a result, during another panic attack, he bit his veins on his arm. After that, he was transferred to squad 18. I heard that this squad has fewer prisoners, especially political ones, which allows for closer monitoring."

According to the political prisoner, Padnyabenny stood out among other prisoners for his openness and sharp reaction to what was happening around him.

"Andrei was a very sincere and open person with a heightened sense of justice. Sometimes it seemed like naivety. Some prisoners made fun of him or deliberately provoked him. He once complained that one of the prisoner-activists — Bachyla — was 'annoying' him."

He was an emotional person and took everything to heart. When he watched some news, he could sometimes react very nervously to it.

Andrei had a news addiction, and some of those who communicated with him in the squad tried to distract him from the TV. He was very interested in the war in Ukraine.

Andrei couldn't always restrain himself, so sometimes he had arguments with others. And with this, it's very strict in the zones now: the administration tries to suppress all conflict situations as much as possible. In the squad, you are always in plain sight, and Andrei hardly ever went to the industrial zone because he worked as a "local" cleaner, so he spent most of his time within the squad's territory. Besides, video cameras are installed everywhere. For a verbal argument, one could immediately be sent to Shiza for 10 days. And if you are political, no one will even bother to investigate. Andrei sometimes reacted emotionally to some comment, so he ended up in Shiza several times for conflict."

Andrei described his state under neuroleptics as a lethargic sleep

According to the observations of the former political prisoner, Andrei had an unstable emotional background.

"At a certain point, I was very interested in psychology, so I noticed that Andrei probably had obsessive-compulsive neurosis — obsessive-compulsive disorder. One of the signs of this is that a person frequently washes their hands. Andrei constantly walked around and washed his hands — he almost had soap in his pocket. All the prisoners joked about him and said he would wash his hands raw. I communicated with Andrei, tried to support him, and helped him shift his attention. I shared self-control methods with him. Because he could explode even over a trifle."

As the interlocutor notes, psychological help in PC No. 15 exists only on paper, and instead of treatment, drugs that suppress personality are used.

"It's unrealistic to get full psychological help in the colony. Psychologists in the colony are mostly just a formality. They conduct some tests once every three months — and that's it. But we don't know if these tests are processed somehow or if their results are taken into account.

Antidepressants are an expensive pleasure for prisons, so they simplify everything and prescribe neuroleptics. I talked about this topic with many educated people who also went through imprisonment, and everyone said that Belarusian prisons and colonies are one big madhouse. Most of the people in their contingent have psychological problems, and the state has no resources for their rehabilitation and support. For the state system, the easiest thing is to isolate these people. Considering how many people there need psychological help, these two or three psychologists for several thousand prisoners are nothing. They physically cannot meet the needs of everyone who needs psychological help.

For example, many prisoners, after ending up in a colony, experience a divorce after about a year; someone "rushes" due to a long term yet to be served; someone is afraid to be released after a long term of "sitting" because they see on TV how the world outside the colony has changed; someone is worried due to the death or illness of relatives. And all that a psychologist can offer at such critical moments is "lafeta valery" — a plate of valerian pills.

It is also important to understand that every person has an individual degree of resilience. In the same zone and squad, conditions for one prisoner may seem like torture, while for another, it's everyday routine. This is also a matter of personal perception, experience, and hardening.

Upon arrival at the colony, a psychologist is supposed to talk to the prisoners to create a psychological profile of the person, but this function, like many others, is most often performed by an operative. On the other hand, the squad leader should care about the psychological state of the prisoners and inquire about it, but often the staff are so overloaded with paperwork that they no longer have the resources for this."

The interlocutor recalls that for some time, Andrei was prescribed a course of neuroleptics — antipsychotic drugs. This is a group of psychotropic drugs used primarily for the treatment of psychoses, schizophrenia, and other severe mental disorders. They effectively reduce psychomotor agitation, eliminate delusions, hallucinations, feelings of fear, and aggression. But Andrei himself refused them because they were very strong.

"Andrei described his state under the influence of neuroleptics as a lethargic sleep: he woke up, went to the toilet, to the dining room — and then he was switched off. Sometimes he could miss the dining room because, under the influence of the pills, he didn't hear the signal to leave the squad. According to Andrei, this drug therapy made him lose his will to live. He said he understood that the medicine was supposedly supposed to help, but on the contrary, his psychological state worsened. The body is physically preserved, but as a person, you don't exist because you completely stop feeling and experiencing emotions. Because of this, he refused these medicines. For some time, he was psychologically stable, partly thanks to basic physical exercises."

The second tragic incident occurred with Dzmitry Shletgauer, who didn't even manage to get to the squad and also died in Shiza.

"When Dzmitry Shletgauer died, there was a prisoner in Shiza at that very time with whom we sometimes communicated. He later recounted that he heard a commotion in the corridor and recognized operative Kislyakov's voice, who was removing the body from the 'noose'."

It happened at night. He heard some movement and Kislyakov's voice: "He's still warm." It is known that Shletgauer was placed in Shiza from "quarantine." Later, rumors circulated that for some time, no political prisoners from "quarantine" were sent to Shiza in PC No. 15. Because before this tragic incident, almost all prisoners who had prophylactic registration No. 10 — "extremist" — after being transferred from the pre-trial detention center to the colony, ended up in the squad via Shiza.

Rumors about the political prisoner's suicide in Shiza spread very quickly, although the administration tries in every way to hide such facts. After some time, gossip began to spread that allegedly the person who committed suicide was imprisoned under a drug article. Some speculated that such rumors were deliberately spread by the operational department to avoid a possible sharp reaction from other political prisoners."

He said that as soon as he arrived at the colony, he was beaten in Shiza

Another former political prisoner, who was in the squad next to Andrei's, agreed to speak anonymously about Andrei Padnyabenny:

"I met Andrei on the very first day he arrived in the neighboring squad — the 14th. We immediately started talking very well because he was one of the kindest political prisoners I knew in the colony. Andrei didn't even utter a single swear word during all our interactions."

He said that as soon as he arrived at the colony, he was beaten in Shiza. This happened to everyone who had a long sentence. When he entered the colony, he was stripped of everything. I helped him in any way I could, because he had absolutely nothing: no clothes, no food. We talked every day, drank tea together."

The man says that Andrei had an illness, but could not recall and name the details. According to him, the political prisoner told him about it approximately a month after he found himself in the colony — in October 2023:

"He could only do light work, but he walked with me for a long time cleaning wire. Andrei sought to be transferred to another job. So he ended up in squad 18, where he was assigned light work. He was still sent to clear snow, clean the colony grounds, even though that's not light work.

Andrei repeatedly told me that he didn't have long to live. With tears in his eyes, he said he felt he would die soon. I kept telling him: "Andrei, calm down! You have your whole life ahead of you. We'll build Belarus together." He said he had some illness and needed medical help, which he wouldn't get in the colony."

At the same time, as the man emphasizes, Andrei never mentioned suicide in his conversation with him:

"I'm sure he wouldn't have done it."

The former political prisoner notes that he did not notice any psychological problems in Andrei:

"He was always positive. Andrei was a calm person. But he wasn't very keen on communicating with anyone."

According to the interlocutor, Andrei Padnyabenny was repeatedly placed in Shiza:

"When he was in squad 18, we noticed he was absent. There were very few political prisoners in that squad — only pensioners. Andrei was the last prisoner I saw before my release. He was clearing snow, and I showed him a gesture through the fence: "Long live Belarus!" It so happened that my last words in the colony were addressed precisely to Andrei."

The former political prisoner learned about Andrei's death when he was already free.

"A relative of one of the convicted persons was at a meeting in the colony. She informed me that a political prisoner had hanged himself in the colony. I then contacted journalists to find out who she was talking about. And then I read in the news that it was Andrei."

"All these facts require a proper investigation"

In summary, human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich of "Viasna" notes:

"Andrei's death in Shiza of PC No. 15, in my opinion, should be viewed in the context of the general situation of pressure faced by political prisoners in places of deprivation of liberty. It must be noted that political prisoners face systemic, targeted pressure, organized by the administration of places of deprivation of liberty. The systemic nature, mass scale, and uniformity of this pressure on all political prisoners allow us to speak of a specially developed methodology for its implementation and testify to its organized nature.

All this pressure and provocations against political prisoners were organized directly by the colony administration: the head, his deputies, operatives, and squad leaders. It should be recalled here that all reports and decisions on placement in Shiza for "violations" bear the signatures of specific officials, in particular, colony head Lazarenka. In addition, there are known facts that colony employees — Majors Vesialou, Kavaliou, and Captain Kisloŭ — used torture and physical violence against convicted persons. Such physical violence was likely also applied to Andrei.

The incident with the bitten hand during another stay in Shiza indicates that Andrei was protesting against some illegal actions against him. All these facts require a proper investigation and clarification of the truth, which is necessary to provide a legal assessment of the actions of specific officials of colony No. 15: colony head A. V. Lazarenka, his deputies Fedarenka and Ihnatsenka, squad leaders and operatives, the head of the operational service and his deputies.

I repeat, all the pressure and provocations committed against political prisoners, including Andrei, occurred by order of these officials, with their knowledge and approval. The investigation will have to identify those who gave such orders to the colony's leadership. This was likely the leadership of the Department of Penal Enforcement or directly GUBOPiK (Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption). The same applies to another case — the suicide of Dzmitry Shletgauer in Shiza of PC No. 15 in October 2024."

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