News on the topic: torture
14.09.2011 Military procuracy casts a veil of secrecy over tortures in KGB prison
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee has received an answer to his request to hold a check-up concerning the statement of the former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau about tortures in the remand prison of the KGB.
13.09.2011 Political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich goes on hunger-strike
On 13 September Zmitser Dashkevich, a prominent political activist imprisoned for two years on fabricated charges, had a meeting with his lawyer in penal colony #9 in Horki. The lawyer came there to take part in the court proceedings concerning the change of the prison regime to Dashkevich to keeping in a closed prison.
05.09.2011 Administrator of Vkontakte group made statement about torture
Recently Siarhei Pauliukevich has issued a video address to Internet users in which he told about torture and recruitment by KGB agents.
01.09.2011 Baranavichy: beaten and fined
On 30 August 2011 the Baranavichy Town and District Court fined civil activist Aliaksandr Vaitseshyk for insubordination to lawful demands of police officer (Article 23.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
24.08.2011 Political prisoner Zmitser Dashkevich reports torture
Young Front leader Zmitser Dashkevich says he had been repeatedly subjected to torture while serving his term in a penal colony in Horki, Mahiliou region, Young Front’s press-service reports.
09.08.2011 Mikalai Statkevich confirmed fact of tortures in KGB prison
A former presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich was interrogated in the case of investigation of torture facts in the KGB remand prison. The interrogation was held by the Military Prosecutor’s Office in Shklou penal colony, where Mr. Statkevich serves his term. RFE/RL has been informed about that by the wife of the political prisoner Maryna Adamovich.
03.08.2011 Andrei Bandarenka: there is no public control over penal colonies and pre-trial prisons
“We can draw many examples of torture in the Belarusian prisons,” Andrei Bandarenka, a representative of the civil association Platform, who had spent almost two years behind bars for alleged swindle and was released because of “absence of corpus delicti”, stated in his interview with BelSat.
29.07.2011 Plain-clothes policeman beats Baranavichy activist
On 27 July, Baranavichy civil activist Aliaksandr Vaitseshyk lodged a complaint with the town’s police chief against an incident that reportedly took place in the activist’s flat on the same day.
28.07.2011 Prosecuting authorities ignore police-related violence reports
According to Mr. Uladzimir Marozau, he lost consciousness after a plain-clothes policeman put a knee across his neck, and subsequently appealed the incident at Minsk City Prosecutor’s Office.
27.07.2011 Public prosecutor's office finds no danger in Siarhej Androsenka's beating
He asked to start a criminal case against the police. The public prosecutor's office replied they found no actions dangerous for the society.
22.07.2011 Will torture become criminal in Belarus?
The Belarusian Ministry of the Interior has initiated the introduction of the term “torture” into the Criminal Code, following a request by Ksenia Dubitskaya, graduate of the Human Rights School.
21.07.2011 Detainee beaten and intimidated by unknown person
According to Anton Ruliou, detained on 6 July in Minsk and sentenced to 10 days of arrest, he was beaten and threatened with drug-related prosecution by an unknown person after he was taken to Minsk Savetski District Police Department.
20.07.2011 Minsk residents appeal police violence
Two Minsk residents Mr. Uladzimir Marozau and Mrs. Sviatlana Viarheichyk have lodged complaints with the city’s prosecutor’s office, appealing violence reportedly used by the police during a “silent protest” on 6 July.
20.07.2011 Torture in Salihorsk detention center
On 19 July, Young Front activist Ivan Shyla serving an administrative arrest in Salihorsk detention center was taken to hospital with an acute allergy he had contracted during his service in the army.
19.07.2011 Torture used against Zhodzina prisoners
Several persons convicted of involvement in the 6 July “silent protest” were reportedly subjected to torture at the prison of Zhodzina, Minsk region.
