Parasites in places of imprisonment is a gross violation of international standards of detention

After the mass detentions and administrative arrests that Belarusians faced in 2020, society learned about the appalling conditions in detention centers. The most shocking was the evidence of those detained about the unbearable conditions of detention, including unsanitary conditions and harmful insects in the cells: lice, bedbugs, and fleas. Viasna has collected dozens of testimonies from former prisoners who have been bitten by parasites and explains why this is a gross violation of international standards for the detention of prisoners.

The punishment cell in the temporary detention facility at Akrescina. Illustration by Volha Prankevich

The most common places in the stories of those detained about their encounter with harmful insects were the Center for Isolation of Offenders and the temporary detention facility at Akrescina, as well as temporary detention facilities in many cities.

Lice, bedbugs, and fleas live in the cells at Akrescina

Former political prisoner Zakhar Yanouski, recalling his stay at Akrescina said that "hygiene products were handled by ordinary hooligans, so 'extremists' were not given either soap or a toothbrush. After Akrescina everyone had lice."

Activist Artsiom Babok spoke about the conditions of detention in the Center for Isolation of Offenders at Akrescina:

"They took me to the shower in the Center once — only on the first day."

Artsiom noted that this "rule" applied to all those detained, regardless of how many days they had to serve. There were also cockroaches and lice in the cell. The Center staff did not react to complaints in any way.

Many claim that the administration deliberately put prisoners who led an antisocial lifestyle in overcrowded cells:

"As an additional pressure, homeless people are put in the cells with the detainees."

"Up to 43 people were held in an eight-bed cell at the same time. Homeless people who had lice were put in the cell now and again."

Former political prisoner Daniil Kasenka remembered the cell in the temporary detention facility at Akrescina for its unsanitary conditions and smells:

"The smell... Bedbugs, lice — all this comes out at night when you fall asleep and bites. It stinks terribly, and you hear screams...”

Those who served their sentences in Brest, Homeĺ, Hrodna, Pinsk, and Žodzina also mentioned the presence of harmful insects.

Aliaksandr served his administrative arrest in the detention center of the Kastryčnicki district police department of Hrodna. As usual, there was no soap, no toothbrushes, no mattresses, no walks:

"The conditions were normal: it was impossible to sleep and sit during the day, and the beds were dangerous, since the metal plates were jagged by an angle grinder. There were both ticks and lice in the cell."

Brest resident Natallia was serving administrative arrest in the temporary detention facility of the Leninski district of Brest. The interlocutor said that there were a lot of bedbugs all over the cell, which bit women and caused allergies.

Bug bite marks on Natallia's body. Photos were provided by the woman

"Bedbugs were everywhere: on the ceiling, on the walls, literally everywhere. I even studied all the stages of life of bedbugs: how a larva looks like, how a mature insect does. I became a bedbugs specialist."

Another piece of evidence: "My wife was bitten by bedbugs in the temporary detention facility in March. They didn't bite much, but there were a lot of bedbugs. The prisoners even wrote a complaint to the prosecutor's office about the conditions of detention, including bites. The reply said that 'the facts you have stated have not been confirmed'."

What danger do harmful insects pose to prisoners?

Bedbugs prefer to settle next to sleeping places. They attack only at night.

Fleas can settle almost anywhere. The list of infections that a flea can spread among people is rather big. It includes plague, typhus, hepatitis, salmonellosis, rabies, and lichen. More than 25 different diseases in total.

Lice usually settle in a person's hair and clothes. They quickly spread in conditions that are comfortable for them: in crowded cells where people are unable to comply with basic hygiene standards.

Bug bite marks on an ex-inmate. brestspring.org

It is not so dramatic in the penal colonies, but rats are running around

The situation in Belarusian penal colonies with harmful neighbors of prisoners is not so dramatic. Periodically, bed linen is disinfected, but sometimes the administration forgets about these measures.

As former political prisoner Hanna Vishniak recalls, there was a problem with lice in Homieĺ women's colony No. 4:

"They settled in clothes, in bed linen, and then moved onto the skin. I was constantly itching and couldn't figure out why. Very unpleasant impressions. I tried to heat the seams of sweaters and other clothes with a coil heater to destroy parasites. Once a year, all things, mattresses were supposed to be taken away for a heat sterilization, but during my two years in prison this never happened."

Former political prisoner Aliaksei Kireyeu, who served his sentence in penal colony-15 in Mahilioŭ:

"The penal colony is pretty sterile. There were lice once, in the 5th squad. We got rid of them in a couple of days and sprayed the premises."

Photo: Shutterstock

Many political prisoners say that there are many rats in the penal colonies, which can also spread dangerous diseases. Rats usually settle near kitchens and canteens, as well as in the industrial zone, where it is difficult to get rid of them.

Parasites and unsanitary conditions are a gross violation of international standards for the detention of prisoners

Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and parasites such as lice and bedbugs in places of detention are of serious concern from the point of view of human rights and health. This is a gross violation of international standards for the detention of prisoners, established, for example, by the UN in the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).

Unsanitary conditions in places of detention threaten not only prisoners but also public health in general. The fight against this requires a systematic approach and pressure on the relevant authorities.