November 25, Pozirk. There are 163 female political prisoners in Belarus, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, November 25.
In the four years since the presidential election, the human rights activists have documented more than 1,450 politically motivated sentences in criminal cases against women. The actual number of repressed women is unknown.
Viasna notes that detained women often endure physical violence, psychological pressure, threats of physical and sexual violence and warnings that they may lose custody of their children. The detention conditions severely affect women’s health, while medical care is not provided.
For example, there are many punishments that humiliate human honor and dignity in Women’s Penal Colony No. 4, including detention in the so-called “outdoor cage” between the residential and industrial zones. In Penal Colony No. 24, women are often held in a punishment cell under inhumane conditions. Officers deprive political prisoners of visits and parcels and destroy letters from their relatives.
Viasna notes that repression and violence have only intensified while almost all NGOs protecting women’s rights have been shut down. Consequently, victims of violence are left without protection and support. There is no law against domestic violence in Belarus, as Alaksandar Łukašenka criticized the concept as nonsense. Last year, Viasna informed the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about documented cases of torture and inhumane treatment of women.
