{"id":206015,"date":"2026-10-02T19:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T16:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/206015\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T19:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T16:55:10","slug":"violence-widespread-in-belarus-jails-and-prisons-survey-finds","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/206015\/","title":{"rendered":"Violence widespread in Belarus\u2019 jails and prisons, survey finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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October 2, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Physical and psychological violence is widespread and conditions are harsh in Belarus\u2019 detention centers and correctional institutions, according to a new survey<\/a> of \u201ctorture and ill\u2011treatment among former Belarusian political prisoners after 2020\u201d published by the international journal Torture<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seventy-seven former political prisoners, who currently live abroad, were interviewed in the survey. As many as 98.6 percent of them reported psychological torture or ill\u2011treatment behind bars. Violence at arrest was reported by 85.7 percent of the respondents, physical torture or ill\u2011treatment during imprisonment by 88.3 percent, punitive isolation by 52.1 percent, suicidal thoughts in custody by 30.1 percent, self\u2011harm by 12.3 percent, and suicide attempts by four respondents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants at the survey described loneliness and separation from relatives as the most severe stressors, rating them as more distressing than physical violence or threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reported psychological abuse included constant exposure to artificial lighting, heat or cold, sleep deprivation, overcrowding, insults and threats, and restrictions on communications with relatives and access to information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physical abuse included beatings, forced stripping, painful stress positions, dangerous forced labor, and, in some cases, electric shocks and suffocation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As many as 64.9 percent of the interviewees reported the denial of medical assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey indicates that the perceived purposes of violence differed from the global pattern of torture used to obtain information or confessions. The most common motives were humiliation of the person and attempts at \u201csubmission or suppression,\u201d reported by 81.9 percent and 80.6 percent of those interviewed, respectively. Torture aimed at extracting self-incriminating confessions was reported by 58.3 percent of the respondent, and torture aimed at obtaining information about other people and events was reported by 45.8 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to psychiatrist Vladimir Pikirenia, one of the study\u2019s authors, the testimonies indicate a systematic pattern of repression and suppression behind bars. Pikirenia stressed the role of medical workers in the denial of medical aid, describing it as important component of the repressive system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the authors, in the long term, the study could help bring the perpetrators to account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Swiss prosecutors reject Hersche\u2019s complaint over torture in Belarus prison<\/h3>\n
September 10, Pozirk. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland rejected a complaint regarding crimes against humanity filed by Natalla Hersche, a Swiss national of Belarusian descent, who had spent 17 months in Belarusian prison in a politically-motivated case. …<\/div>\n \n