International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women: 163 women political prisoners in Belarus
Today, the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women marks the beginning of 16 days of active action against gender-based violence, which will end on December 10 — International Human Rights Day.
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world. It is estimated that almost one in three women worldwide have been physically and/or sexually abused by an intimate partner, sexually assaulted by a stranger, or both at least once in their lives. Every 10 minutes a woman is killed.
Facts and figures: Ending violence against women
What is the situation in Belarus?
Repression, violence, cruel and inhuman treatment of people in Belarus are only getting worse, and the human rights situation is deteriorating. This also applies to women.
Almost all non-governmental public organizations involved in the protection of women's rights were dissolved. Thus, the victims of violence in Belarus were left without protection and support. A project for women Girl Power Bel was recognized as an "extremist formation".
Today, 163 women political prisoners are behind bars, and in four years human rights activists have recorded more than 1,450 politically motivated sentences in criminal cases against women. The real number of persecuted women after the presidential elections in 2020 is unknown.
Detainees are often subjected to the use of physical force, psychological pressure, threats of physical and sexual violence, as well as threats of taking away their children or harming loved ones. Conditions of detention significantly worsen the health of women, while medical care is not provided.
Last year, the Human Rights Center Viasna contacted the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and informed it about known evidence of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of women. At that time, a total of 193 women were documented. 37 women reported specific circumstances of physical violence during detention and serving their sentences.
When women recall the detention, they report being hit on the legs with a police baton and being beaten while lying on the ground. A riot police officer told one of the women during the battering: "This is for you for the stones and Molotov cocktails; I will teach you how to live; I will teach you how to get money," addressed her in the plural "motherfuckers."Nine women reported getting threats of sexual violence.
Torture with stress positions, the threat of termination of parental rights: the abuse that Belarusian women face
Viasna human rights defenders constantly become aware of new cases of repression and inhumane treatment of prisoners by the administration of the Homieĺ and Zarečča penal colonies. Back in early March 2023, pressure on prisoners increased in penal colony-4: searches and interrogations became frequent. Women have not received letters for a long time, but it is reported that they are summoned for interrogation because of the letters, including old ones. Interrogators are trying to find out how the people who send the letters are related to the women. Political prisoners constantly face psychological pressure from prison employees.
In women's colony No. 4, many punishments humiliate human honor and dignity. One of these is the placement of political prisoners in a "cage", which is located outside between the residential and industrial zones.
The "cage" in women's penal colonies. What is it, what norms does it violate?
Throughout their stay in penal colony No. 24 in Zarečča, women are regularly placed in a punitive isolation cell, where the conditions are inhuman, according to former prisoners. Political prisoners are deprived of visits, care packages, and letters from relatives.
Employees of Zarečča penal colony beat political prisoner Viktoryia Kulsha, and, after several hunger strikes, she had a heart attack twice. Political prisoner and activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk also stated about beatings in this penal colony at her trial — her face and internal organs were severely damaged.
At her trial, activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk reported beatings and pressure in the penal colony
Viasna recounts what happened at the first court hearing in the case of Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.
If you want to write letters of support and postcards of solidarity to the imprisoned women and express your admiration for their strength and resilience in the struggle for freedom and democracy in Belarus, you can use the list of women political prisoners.
You can also write online via Solidarity Postcards Atelier.
The Human Rights Center Viasna emphasizes the importance of documenting your stories. Please write to:
Telegram: @ViasnaDOC | Email: viasnadoc@spring96.org
If you are a woman and you have experienced physical violence or other violations by male law enforcement officers during detention and subsequent imprisonment, the Viasna legal service suggests filing a complaint with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. For help with the appeal, please contact:
