A Belarusian activist was found dead in Kiev a day after being reported missing, police said on Tuesday.

Vitaly Shishov, who led a Kiev-based non-profit that helped new arrivals fleeing Belarus settle in Ukraine, was found hanged in a park near his home in the Ukrainian capital.

The authorities found his personal belongings and his mobile phone near the body.

Mr Shishov’s group, Belarusian House in Ukraine, had reported him missing on Monday after he did not return from a jog.

Kiev police said they were investigating the death, including the possibility that it was not the result of suicide but murder.

Mr Shishov had told people he felt increasingly persecuted, according to media reports. According to the Belarusian House, Mr Shishov had fled to Ukraine last year out of fear for his safety, following mass anti-government protests that he took part in.

Many Belarusians have fled abroad to escape a crackdown by the government of authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko.

For example, the case of Belarusian Olympic athlete Kristina Timanovskaya, 24, has caused an international stir in recent days.

On Monday, the runner was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland’s embassy in Tokyo, following what she described as an attempted kidnapping to repatriate her after she criticized Belarusian sports officials forcibly.

She is now under the protection of the Japanese police and is expected to leave for Poland soon.

(dpa/NAN)