Maryna Zolatava: Political prisoner Tatsiana Kolas diagnosed with cancer. This is not just bad news, it's terrible news

"Political prisoner Tatsiana Kolas has been diagnosed with cancer. This is not just bad news. This is terrible news, as she is in a penal colony.

To be honest: I personally had almost no direct experience with prison medicine. But during the time I was in the colony (and I spent two years and four months there), at least two women died of cancer. One was older, from my unit, sentenced under an economic article. The second was younger, sentenced under Article 328. However, the article doesn't matter. What matters is that they were people, women.

Political prisoner Hanna Kandratsenka was also diagnosed with cancer while in the colony. She was even taken for treatment to an oncology dispensary in Homel. She died seven months after her release.

And I wonder: would they have had a better chance if they were free? Undoubtedly. At the very least, their lives and health would depend much more on themselves, rather than on a vehicle, convoy, the availability of beds in "that one hospital," the schedule of "that one specialist" who might be on vacation in the summer, access to medication, and many other things.

Tatsiana Kolas should be transferred to a hospital for examination and treatment, but for some reason, this is only planned to happen in a few months.

You all, of course, remember how in 2020 Veronika Tsepkalo spoke about her mother. A criminal case was opened against her, and later she was diagnosed with cancer. Veronika, visiting her mother in the hospital, was shocked: her mother was handcuffed to a radiator.

Back then, I thought: that can't be true. But now I can say — don't even doubt it.

Convicts brought from the colony to city hospitals are always handcuffed to the bed. A convoy guard is constantly next to them.

And one more thing remains beyond my comprehension. Why, in those three cases I mentioned, was the form of punishment not changed for the women? Why couldn't they have been sent home?

I wish Tatsiana health and strength. And to be reunited with her family as soon as possible. I believe that only then will she surely recover," Maryna Zolatava wrote.

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Tatsiana Kolas worked in the Minsk City Executive Committee and had access to personal data of law enforcement officers, which she then transferred to the Telegram channel "Black Book of Belarus."

In June 2022, law enforcement officers reported that the woman allegedly voluntarily came to "surrender" to GUBOPiK (Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption). Before the trial, Tatsiana was left free, under house arrest.

In September 2022, she was sentenced to six and a half years under four articles of the Criminal Code:

• Part 3, Art. 203-1 — illegal actions concerning private life information and personal data;
• Part 3, Art. 130 — incitement of racial, national, religious, or other social hostility or discord;
• Part 3, Art. 352 — unlawful possession of computer information;
• Part 3, Art. 426 — abuse of power or official authority.

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