Doctor sentenced to three years over jail death
Zhanna Ptsichkina and Iryna Ptsichkina speak to a counsel before the start of the trial
The Court of Maskoŭski district of Minsk has sentenced Aliaksandr Krylou, employee of a jail hospital in Minsk, to three years of imprisonment in a penal settlement, putting an end to the criminal investigation into the death of Ihar Ptsichkin.
The doctor was found guilty of professional misconduct, which negligently caused the patient’s death (Part 2, Article 162 of the Criminal Code). Krylou will also be unable to hold positions in the institutions of the healthcare and penitentiary systems for a period of five years.
The trial, which started on September 16, was the last stage of a 3-year-long investigation opened at the request of the victim’s mother, Zhanna Ptsichkina, who has received extensive assistance from Viasna’s human rights defenders.
Ihar Ptsichkin died on August 4, 2013, a few days after he was sentenced to three months in jail for driving without a valid driver’s license. The prison administration said that the young man died of heart disease, but the family found bruises on the body. As a result, a criminal case was opened, which was suspended several times, but eventually reached the court.
