As authorities say they will not prosecute police officers over torture reports, Viasna pledges to continue documenting abuse
The Investigative Committee said yesterday that it would not open any criminal cases, after completing an investigation into some 680 statements filed by post-election protesters to report torture and other types of ill-treatment at the hands of security forces. The authorities argue that there was no torture or sexual abuse.
According to the agency, the filing of these complaints was “orchestrated”. It is alleged that violence and riot control gear were used in accordance with the law. The Investigative Committee also claims that all the reported victims received their injuries when protesting, thus rejecting the allegations of widespread torture in prisons and police departments.
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” is deeply disappointed with these findings.
The “investigation”, which lasted 12 months, resulted in a shameless lie and a clumsy imitation of collecting and evaluating evidence. It was difficult to expect anything else, though, since a month after the security forces committed their atrocities against peaceful demonstrators, Aliaksandr Lukashenka shared his own version of the events of August 2020:
“They got some in Akrestsin Street [detention center], but who were they? The biggest contradiction between “cons” and “cops” is that they hate each other. And there were a lot of people in Akrestsin Street [detention center], whom I call “urki”, who have been convicted 12 times and so on. And so when they were drunk and smoked, and there were 60% of them, they rushed at these guys [detention center guards], and of course, they reacted. And, certainly, someone was defending someone there, and they got some. But there were no riot police there, there were no riot policemen in Akrestsin Street [detention center].”
He told the same story one year after the election. Obviously, the top officers at the Investigative Committee did not wait for the third hint, and “turned the page”. Yet, we remember everything.
We remember everything. Screams from behind the prison fence, madness in the eyes of the people who have just escaped this hell, their faces and clothes in blood and dirt. The shifty eyes and silence of a police chief and the bursting aggression of another one, and most importantly – we know that the victims remember everything, too.
We remember our own pain and helpless rage when people with horrible bruises all over their backs, arms or hips came to Viasna’s offices one after another. We remember the trembling hands of our videographers and the tears in the eyes of volunteers who documented torture, day after day, hundreds of hours of pain and horror. Dozens of documents from hospitals: hematoma, hematoma, fracture, hematoma, open wound, traumatic brain injury, hematoma...
All this information has now been passed to the International Accountability Platform for Belarus. It is being analyzed and systematized in a safe European country for further action to prosecute those guilty of crimes against humanity.
We leave it to the conscience of investigators that they wasted months to find that the hundreds of victims “orchestrated”, instead of prosecuting those who organized an orchestrated widespread attack on citizens of their own country. But do not intend to forgive the torture of our fellow citizens, we promise to continue to combat torture and will not abandon our efforts to support those who will seek to bring those responsible for crimes against humanity to justice.
We promise free legal assistance to anyone who contacts Viasna for help in appealing against the illegal decisions and support to those who are ready to seek the prosecution of criminals under universal jurisdiction in Lithuania. The duty to the victims of torture will help us carry on, even if we, Viasna, will continue to be persecuted by the accomplices of those who declared war on their people.
We will win this war for the honest history of August 2020, we will keep the names of the victims and the names of the executioners. There will be a place in history for us and for those who spat in the face of their fellow citizens who sought help and protection, and trampled on their hope for justice.
Stories of people who survived police violence and torture:
"Let's take him to the police van, let the guys have fun." Survivor stories
"We brought you to the execution, guys." Survivor stories
A bartender talks about his 3-day arrest. Survivor stories
"A riot policeman sat on me in the police van and exclaimed: 'Look at my nice chair!'" Survivor stories
"They threw my skateboard away and told me I feigned a broken arm." Survivor stories
"I had to take down my pants and stand in my underwear in the middle of the hall." Survivor stories
"Riot policeman took another baton and said: 'I wanted to be a drummer all my life.'" Survivor stories
"They broke my ribs and found me guilty." Survivor stories
"When they looked at my ID, the beating became softer." Survivor stories
Rape threats and "shared responsibility". Survivor stories
"You have thrown Molotovs!" they said and hit us with a Taser." Survivor stories
"They started beating me again and said: 'This is a refill for you!'" Survivor stories
"A paramedic came and started beating people." Survivor stories
"White paint was poured on my head. It was like a sign to beat me harder." Survivor stories
"One of them beats you and the other aims at you with a machine gun." Survivor stories
"They took away my bra with a breast prosthesis." Survivor stories
"Road police officers broke my arm during detention." Survivor stories
"I was lucky to be a journalist and to have my kidneys thrashed previously." Survivor stories
“We will shoot you and you will never be found.” Survivor stories
“We were trampled in the police bus.” Survivor stories
“Now we’ll show you how to s..t your pants." Survivor stories
“So you are for Tsikhanouskaya?” Survivor stories
"Officers abused me all the time because I’m black." Survivor stories
“They kicked me in the head with their police boots.” Survivor stories
“People were screaming every night.” Survivor stories