Man awaiting trial for insulting Belarusian president dies in jail

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian man who was in jail awaiting trial on charges of insulting the authoritarian president has died in custody. The country’s leading human rights group says Aliaksandr Kulinich, 51, died Tuesday in a detention center in the western city of Brest that is notorious for harsh treatment of opposition activists. His death is officially listed as coronary heart disease, but exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for an investigation and for international pressure on Belarus to halt abuse of political prisoners. Kulinich was arrested on Feb. 29 after making social media posts opposing the Russian invasion of Ukraine and criticizing President Alexander Lukashenko.