UN Committee against Torture to consider dispersal of demonstrations in Belarus

The International Federation for Human Rights and Viasna human rights center addresses the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and other cruel treatment.

Manfred Nowak was sent an appeal regarding dispersal of peaceful opposition demonstrations in Minsk on September 9 and 16. Complaint letters the victims of unlawful and cruel treatment of riot militia and testimonies of witnesses of torturing are attached to the appeal.

Human rights say for the last few years, the prosecution agencies of Belarus have not given legal evaluation and refused to instigated criminal cases against the militiamen, who mistreated the detained participants of political demonstrations. Human rights activists hope these facts will be given due attention of international organizations and prosecution bodies of Belarus.

Viasna human rights center gave www.charter97.org the texts of the complaints, sent to the United Nationals Committee against Torture. Here are extracts from some of the documents:

“When we were taken to the Tsentralny district police department, other detainees and me were ordered to stand facing the wall. We stood there for more than three hours. During all this time officers of the regiment of riot police and officers of the Tsentralny district police department beat the detainees, including me, from behind. They delivered blows on the legs, bodies and heads, insulted and threatened us,” arrested activist of the civil campaign “European Belarus” Alyaksandr Serhienka said after dispersal of the rally on September 16.

This is an extract from complaint of “European Belarus” activist Maksim Serhiets:

“During three hours we were kept near the wall. Some were brought to another room to be fingerprinted. Half an hour before we were released one by one, they started clinging to me. I had long hair, tied in a pigtail. About 15 centimetres. They started asking: ‘What’s that, what for do you need it?’ Then I was led in a separate room, where there were four or five officers, who grabbed me by arms and legs from all the sides. They pressed my head to the wall and cut my hair. They continued mocking in the corridor. One of them imitated an electric shaver, like he was shaving the back of my head, but I could not see whether it was true or not.”

“When the detainees were guarded to the Tsentralny district police department, I was put face to the wall. I was feeling very bad because of the kick in the head, that’s why I asked to call an ambulance. It’s worth noting that all officers of the Tsentralny district police department who were present there, did not wear any badges with surnames. They refused to call an ambulance for me. When I felt extremely bad, I asked to be led in a toilet, where I vomited. I was sitting on the floor near the wall all this time, as it was hard for me to stand. The only thing I was allowed to do is to go to the hall and sit on a sit with my head on my knees. There I again asked to call an ambulance, and got another refusal,” says “European Belarus” activist Alyaksei Syanchyla, arrested and beaten at dispersal of the rally on September 16.

We remind that three peaceful demonstrations – on September 9 and 16 and October 16 – have been brutally dispersed in Belarus during the last month. Demonstrators were beaten and arrested unlawfully. Riot militia also hindered the work of journalists, not allowing them to film the outrage.