Belarus activist found dead in Kyiv was critic of gov't, organised protests

Candles are placed next to the portraits of Vitaly Shishov, a Belarusian activist living in exile who was found hanged in a park near his home this morning, during a commemoration rally next to the Belarusian Embassy to Ukraine in Kyiv, Ukraine August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

KYIV (Reuters) - Vitaly Shishov, an exiled Belarusian activist who was found hanged in a park in Kyiv in what police say could have been a murder, was an outspoken critic of the government in Belarus and staged rallies against it in Ukraine's capital.

After leaving Belarus last autumn during huge anti-government protests that he took part in, the 26-year-old set up and led a Kyiv-based organisation that helped Belarusians fleeing a sprawling crackdown on dissent.