The International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus has presented a new investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime after the 2020 election campaign.
This time, the focus of the investigators’ attention was directed to the police of the Maskouski district of Minsk and the crimes that took place there in the period from August 9 to August 13, 2020.
The investigators found out that the police took the detainees from all over the city, among them were women, minors and the elderly. The most severely treated people who were marked with paint by riot police: with tattoos; those who spoke the Belarusian language; with non-standard appearance (long or dyed hair, dreadlocks, piercings).
Based on the testimony of citizens and the documents submitted by them, the Committee’s experts concluded that the security forces carried out massive and systemic torture and violence, including sexual (at least three victims said this), bullying and ill-treatment of detainees.
People were chased through the ranks of security forces with batons, held in uncomfortable positions for hours, and beaten. During interrogations and the registration procedure, detainees were treated with special brutality: they were strangled, covered their heads with clothes, and sat on them. One of the girls had a piercing removed from her chest with pliers.
The wounded and beaten were kept in overcrowded, stuffy and humid cells, were not fed, and were confined to water. In rare cases, they were taken to the toilet, insulted and beaten, there were attempts to “drown” the detainees in the toilet. Medical care, as a rule, was not provided.