Polish military man Emil Czeczko who fled to Belarus found hanged in Minsk

Belarusian police officers conduct investigation into the circumstances of the death of Polish soldier Emil Czeczko. A few months earlier, he crossed the border of Belarus and spoke on state television about the cruelty of Polish border guards against refugees, Interfax reports.

"Today, law enforcement agencies received a message saying that Emil Czeczko was found hanged at his place of residence in Minsk," the Investigative Committee of Belarus said on Thursday, March 17.

The investigative team immediately arrived at the scene.

"Currently, an investigation is being carried out, objects that are important for the investigation are being seized," officials said.

Specialists of the State Forensic Examination Committee were instructed to carry out a forensic medical examination to determine the exact cause of the man's death.

"The Investigative Committee is considering all possible versions of what happened, including the violent nature of death," representatives for the Investigative Committee said. 

Czeczko was detained by Belarusian border guards on December 16, 2021 in the border zone. He asked for political asylum in Belarus. Later, he announced his disagreement with the policy of the Polish authorities on the migration crisis. Czeczko claimed that Polish security forces systematically killed migrants, said that he knew about the killings of more than 240 migrants.

In Poland, Czeczko was put on the wanted list and accused of desertion, he faced up to ten years in prison.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that Poland wanted to capture the Belarusian border guard in order to exchange him for Czeczko.