The political prisoner and union activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk siffers from “chronic pancreatitis of moderate severity” – a serious conditions which is extremely difficult to treat in custody. The prisoner’s relatives learnt about this diagnosis from the official response of the administration of the Penitentiary Facility No. 24 where the union activist had been serving her term until recently.
Currently, Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk is held at the Homyel pre-trial detention facility where she faces a new criminal case started against her under Article 411 of the Criminal Code (“Willful disregard of the penitentiary administration’s legitimate demands”).
Andrei Sharenda, the husband of the political prisoner, has told “Svaboda” how he has learnt about his wife’s diagnosis and why he believes this is a life-threatening situation for her.
“The symptoms of the disease are abdominal pains, weakness and a dramatic loss of weight. The condition is very dangerous because it destroys the pancreas, causing irreversible changes in its structure. We were not aware that she had pancreatitis but we did receive information that Palina had abdominal pains and was rapidly losing weight. At one time she had lost so much that she only weighed 50 kilos. However, all official replies to our appeals to the penitentiary’s administration claimed that Palina was healthy and alleged that she was receiving all the necessary help in full.
At that time, Palina had problems with her liver; she required some specific medicines which we sent to her but which were never delivered. Then I appealed to the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In January this year my request was registered and in March the CEDAW demanded that Belarus should urgently take provisional measures to protect Palina. The Belarusian authorities had to respond to this requirement and it was only from their response that we learnt about Palina’s chronic pancreatitis which had already progressed to the moderate severity stage. And this is a horrific diagnosis: in fact, given the conditions she faces in custody, it is tantamount to a death sentence”, stated Palina’s husband.
Andrei Sharenda explained why he believed that his wife was in mortal danger.
“As the experts and the Internet have told me, this disease gradually destroys the pancreas. This condition necessitates a special diet, a special treatment, no workload, good detention conditions, and meticulous medical supervision. Palina is deprived of all these things.
“Moreover, they have deliberately created conditions for her which are totally opposite to what is required: long transfers from one facility to another, bad nutrition, they do not give her the necessary medicines and stop the food we send her from home. And they do all that being fully aware of her diagnosis. This is why I say that they, in fact, are slowly killing my wife. She was to be released as early as last May but they opened a new case against her instead with a new investigation and a transfer to “Navinki”. It’s terrible what they are doing to my Palina!” says Palina’s husband in utter disgust.
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