Belarusian activist was discovered dead in Kiev on Tuesday, a day after he was reported missing.
Vitaly Shishov, the director of a non-profit in Kiev that assisted newcomers escaping Belarus to settle in Ukraine, was found hung in a park near his home in Kiev.
Near the body, his personal stuff and phone were discovered.
Shishov’s organization, Belarusian House in Ukraine, had reported him missing when he failed to return from a jog on Monday.
Kiev police said they were looking into the death, including whether it was the result of a murder rather than a suicide.
According to media accounts, Shishov had stated that he felt increasingly persecuted.
According to Belarusian House, Shishov went to Ukraine last year out of concern for his safety after taking part in major anti-government protests.
Many Belarusians have fled the country to avoid autocratic dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s government’s crackdown.
The case of Belarusian Olympic athlete Kristina Timanovskaya, 24, for example, has sparked widespread outrage in recent months.
Following what she said as an attempted kidnapping to forcibly repatriate her after she insulted Belarusian sports officials, the runner was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland’s embassy in Tokyo on Monday.
She is now under Japanese police protection and is likely to travel to Poland soon.
