Vladimir Lemesh speaks about the conditions in the pre-trial detention center of Soligorsk: “There is three mattresses for 15 people”

Activist of "European Belarus", Vladimir Lemesh, spent last weekend in Soligorski pre-trial detention center.

Human rights center “Vyasna” is reporting that the youth activist stated that the conditions of detention in pre-trial centers are inhuman and degrading for a person, hence, currently he is filing a complaint about this.

It is worth noting that Soligorsk pre-trial detention center was reconstructed in 2013 after a number of complaints filed by activists. There were attempts maid to evaluate the changes in the conditions of detention in the center done by local human rights activists from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee. The authorities, however, did not allow representatives of Belarusian Helsinki Committee to attend local pre-trial detention center.

According to Vladimir Lemesh, certain changes have indeed occurred. Now there is a washbasin in the cell and a toilet is separated from it by a small wall. Film on the windows was replaced with double-glazed windows. However, these repairs did not fundamentally change the situation. There are still no separate beds provided for people in every cell, even despite the fact that this norm is fixed for the "sutochniki" (people who are detained only for one day). People are still forced to stay and sleep on the same wooden so-called "scene" (stage).

“There was up to 15 people in the chamber at the same time, but there is enough place to sleep on the "scene" only for eight people. Others detainees either lie in the legs of those eight privileged ones, or stay on the concrete floor. Most people are not sleeping through the whole night. At the same time a there were only three mattress for everyone in total,” - says Vladimir Lemesh. - “Washbasin and separated toilet is good, but there is not flush in that toilet as it is replaced by water carried from the sink in a trimmed plastic bottle. Then tea was poured in the same bottle, as there are no cups.”

The youth activists have noted problem with ventilation and natural light which was never resolved.

“Cigarette smoke is constantly in the air of the overcrowded cell, due to the fact that ventilation is either not working at all or does not have a capacity to manage the amount of air. Double-glazed windows were set, but the windows remained of the same miserable size. There is a critical lack of daylight. I was there only for two days, and people are staying there for fifteen or even twenty-five days in such conditions,” expressed his outrage the activist.

Vladimir believes that this situation constitutes affront to human dignity and he is advocating for an immediate solution. In the coming days he plans to discuss the situation with his layer and file a complaint about this to the Ministry of Interior.