Human rights defenders: a stateless Roma man has been held and tortured in a detention center in Svietlahorsk for nearly four months

March 12, BPN. Arsen Janovič, a stateless Roma man, has been held and tortured in a temporary detention facility in Svietlahorsk (Homiel’ region) for nearly four months, Viasna Human Rights Centre reports citing his former cellmate.

Janovič was detained on November 19, 2021 and placed in an isolation cell without a protocol or charges. The man is about to be deported, but it is unclear where.

According to his former cellmate, “he is a Roma by ethnicity,” who is “just over 40 years old” and had been working at a sawmill in Svietlahorsk prior to his detention. According to Janovič ‘s acquaintance, the man “has been officially employed for more than five years and has not committed any illegal actions during that period.” He has three children and his wife is expecting their fourth.

Human rights defenders pointed out that temporary detention facility, where Janovič has been held for nearly four months, is not suitable for long-term detention.

Janovič’s former cellmate described the conditions of detention as “hell.” He said that the cell “has neither a sink nor a table, while people have to eat on the floor.” The WC “is on the floor level and there is a piece of pipe sticking out of the wall instead of a drain.” The water “can be turned on by the police from the hallway.”

He claimed that detainees are not taken out for walks, which means that Janovič “hasn’t been outdoors for over 100 days.” He “hasn’t showered once, the bed linen hasn’t been changed in 70 days, the sheets are falling apart from the dirt.”

There were nine other people in the four-man cell, in addition to Janovič and his cellmate who informed human rights defenders of his case.

Janovič has had Covid-19 twice.

According to Viasna, the administration of the Svietlahorsk Department of Citizenship and Migration sent an inquiry about Janovič to Lithuania, where his mother resides, but no reply has been received. Janovič’s wife was not informed about the case by the migration service.