Brest Police Turn down Complaints against Bad Incarceration Conditions

The administration of Leninski district police department of Brest did not acknowledge the facts that were enumerated in the complaint of the activist of For Freedom movement Inha Abramava against the improper conditions of incarceration in the temporary isolation ward. 

Abramava directed this complaint to the head of Leninski district police department, the prosecutor of Leninski district and the head of the main police department of Brest city executive committee on 19 December, after serving a five-day term of arrest for ‘dirty swearing’ (a standard accusation against opposition members). 

According to the information of a human rights activist Raman Kisliak, in the answer to the complaint it is stated that a check-up of the facts had been conducted and the facts that had been mentioned in the complaint proved to be untrue. The administration of the district police department also informed Abramava that ‘the compliance of the incarceration of all categories of citizens placed to the isolator is regularly checked by the officials of the MIA and the prosecutor’s office of Brest oblast’. 

According to R.Kisliak, since 2005 the human rights activists of Brest have conducted public ‘inspections’ of temporary isolation wards by questioning the persons who were released from them and there are already about twenty episodes proving that the conditions there don’t correspond even to the minimal demands. 

‘We help the detained and arrested people in appealing against the conditions of incarceration by raising the question of violation of article of the international Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. We intend to continue this work till the conditions in the temporary isolation wards of Brest reach the minimal level corresponding to humane treatment of prisoners,’ stated the human rights activists. 

What concerns Inha Abramava, she intends to appeal against such an answer to the court and to higher state organs.