In August and September of 2020, at least 1376 people suffered from the police brutality in Minsk. A third of them suffered medium-severity trauma. Over 600 people were beaten after the protests, at the police precincts and at Akrescina detention center. There were at least three cases of sexual assault, one of the raped persons is underage.
The state agencies haven't published the statistics about people who suffered during the protests, but the law enforcement gathered this information. An anonymous source contacted Mediazona and sent them an archive of the Investigative committee with the relevant data.
The state agencies haven't published the statistics about people who suffered during the protests, but the law enforcement gathered this information. An anonymous source contacted Mediazona and sent them an archive of the Investigative committee with the relevant data.
Babaryka thinks that the dialogue with the ex-president is impossible under the current conditions.
Lawyers of Victor Babaryka said that their client doesn't consider meeting Lukashenka at the KGB detention center a beginning of dialogue with the Belarusian society. Babaryka stressed that the participants of a dialogue have to be in equal conditions, which means releasing them from jail. Moreover, all the political prisoners must be released, not just those who participated in a meeting. All the dialogue participants must have equal access to the media.
There were no agreements made with Lukashenko. The lawyers stressed that their client's political position remains unchanged. Neither he nor any other political prisoners gave Yuri Voskresensky or anyone else the power to negotiate on their behalf. Besides, Voskresensky wasn't a member of Babaryka's campaign staff, haven't personally negotiated with him or made any meaningful decisions.
Lawyers of Victor Babaryka said that their client doesn't consider meeting Lukashenka at the KGB detention center a beginning of dialogue with the Belarusian society. Babaryka stressed that the participants of a dialogue have to be in equal conditions, which means releasing them from jail. Moreover, all the political prisoners must be released, not just those who participated in a meeting. All the dialogue participants must have equal access to the media.
There were no agreements made with Lukashenko. The lawyers stressed that their client's political position remains unchanged. Neither he nor any other political prisoners gave Yuri Voskresensky or anyone else the power to negotiate on their behalf. Besides, Voskresensky wasn't a member of Babaryka's campaign staff, haven't personally negotiated with him or made any meaningful decisions.
The dreadful stories of torture at Akrescina and police precincts. These are not from August 9-11, but recent. They were published on Facebook by Syarghey Charavaka who has recently been released.
"Nothing has stopped, they are still beating people!
I will tell the most horrible stories from eyewitness accounts and my own experience.
18+ only
1. One guy, an anarchist who was in the same cell as me, was detained by the Organized Crime department, he was brutally beaten, could barely lie on one side, until he got better. They purposefully hit the pain point above the ear.
2. On Sunday, October 4, a guard took a man from the neighboring cell out into the corridor and hit him with a truncheon a couple of times, because the guy was outraged at something.
I can still hear the dull thuds of a truncheon hitting a human body.
3. Another one of my cellmates was a son of a writer who used to work with Alexievich, he was also detained by the Organized Crime and beaten. The bruises were still visible after a week.
4. According to him and many others, the worst time was when they were escorted by the riot cops from the precinct to Akrescina, they were virtuially put through a meatgrinder.
5. A guy replied to them in Belarusian, and they broke two of his ribs for that. He was taken to the hospital, where they said "he's fine, take him back". He could barely talk and breathe.
6. They brutalized a guy who replied "yes, sir!" and "no, sir!" to them. They recognized him as one of their own, he confirmed that he served with 3214 (a special forces detachment - translator's remark), they still showed no mercy.
7. The most horrible history happened to a guy who resisted, threw a couple of them around, and they kicked him in the head. Then they took him to the detention center, and he was in such a shape that he couldn't put slippers on, so they beat him more because they thought he was faking. People say that his name was Volodya, and he was from Soligorsk. He was later taken to Novinki (psychiatric hospital). I hope he will be okay.
8. A girl who was taken together with us, she was one of the people who painted the police vehicles. They beat her, pulled her hair, forced to do splits. She was 18. She asked for help with a lawyer, they cooked a criminal charge against her.
9. My cellmates and I personally heard awful groans on Sunday night, we banged at the door, and once the feeding hole opened we asked what was going on. The answer was typical for the Belarusian regime: "None of your business!"
One of the anarchists shouted "We won't forgive!"
10. We feared that the riot cops would be the ones escorting us to Zhodzina jail but, apparently, they were too busy for such small-time things."
"Nothing has stopped, they are still beating people!
I will tell the most horrible stories from eyewitness accounts and my own experience.
18+ only
1. One guy, an anarchist who was in the same cell as me, was detained by the Organized Crime department, he was brutally beaten, could barely lie on one side, until he got better. They purposefully hit the pain point above the ear.
2. On Sunday, October 4, a guard took a man from the neighboring cell out into the corridor and hit him with a truncheon a couple of times, because the guy was outraged at something.
I can still hear the dull thuds of a truncheon hitting a human body.
3. Another one of my cellmates was a son of a writer who used to work with Alexievich, he was also detained by the Organized Crime and beaten. The bruises were still visible after a week.
4. According to him and many others, the worst time was when they were escorted by the riot cops from the precinct to Akrescina, they were virtuially put through a meatgrinder.
5. A guy replied to them in Belarusian, and they broke two of his ribs for that. He was taken to the hospital, where they said "he's fine, take him back". He could barely talk and breathe.
6. They brutalized a guy who replied "yes, sir!" and "no, sir!" to them. They recognized him as one of their own, he confirmed that he served with 3214 (a special forces detachment - translator's remark), they still showed no mercy.
7. The most horrible history happened to a guy who resisted, threw a couple of them around, and they kicked him in the head. Then they took him to the detention center, and he was in such a shape that he couldn't put slippers on, so they beat him more because they thought he was faking. People say that his name was Volodya, and he was from Soligorsk. He was later taken to Novinki (psychiatric hospital). I hope he will be okay.
8. A girl who was taken together with us, she was one of the people who painted the police vehicles. They beat her, pulled her hair, forced to do splits. She was 18. She asked for help with a lawyer, they cooked a criminal charge against her.
9. My cellmates and I personally heard awful groans on Sunday night, we banged at the door, and once the feeding hole opened we asked what was going on. The answer was typical for the Belarusian regime: "None of your business!"
One of the anarchists shouted "We won't forgive!"
10. We feared that the riot cops would be the ones escorting us to Zhodzina jail but, apparently, they were too busy for such small-time things."
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya talked to the leaders of the strike committees of Belarus.
The meeting included representatives from Minsk Tractor Plant, Minsk Automobile Plant, Minsk Metallurgical Plant, Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant, GrodnoAzot, Communmash, Minsk Electrotechnical Plant. Zarina Sorokina (head of the “Honest people” initiative) and the co-founders of the BySol solidarity foundation Andrey Strizhak, Alexander Podgorny, and Yaroslav Likhachevsky have also been present.
The leaders of the strike committees shared their opinions on the most effective way to run strikes at their enterprises.
The fund representatives stressed that every day they are working on helping people who were fired. The representative of the “Honest people” said that they will provide legal assistance to the people who face pressure and have to defend their rights. The lawyers will also give consultations on the procedures of striking.
The workers representatives said that the main help they need is the support of the Belarusian people, the feeling of mutual assistance. And the team of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will do everything to let the workers know that they are not alone, and the entire Belarus supports them.
The meeting included representatives from Minsk Tractor Plant, Minsk Automobile Plant, Minsk Metallurgical Plant, Minsk Wheeled Tractor Plant, GrodnoAzot, Communmash, Minsk Electrotechnical Plant. Zarina Sorokina (head of the “Honest people” initiative) and the co-founders of the BySol solidarity foundation Andrey Strizhak, Alexander Podgorny, and Yaroslav Likhachevsky have also been present.
The leaders of the strike committees shared their opinions on the most effective way to run strikes at their enterprises.
The fund representatives stressed that every day they are working on helping people who were fired. The representative of the “Honest people” said that they will provide legal assistance to the people who face pressure and have to defend their rights. The lawyers will also give consultations on the procedures of striking.
The workers representatives said that the main help they need is the support of the Belarusian people, the feeling of mutual assistance. And the team of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will do everything to let the workers know that they are not alone, and the entire Belarus supports them.
Vitaly Hurkou, a many-times world champion in Muay Thai and kickboxing, spoke on the situation in Belarus.
“At the moment, I see no reasons to return to Belarus [from Ukraine]. I see the events from the side. The situation has been developing so quickly that I understood... Well, they say that the rock bottom has been broken through and we are falling further, but there is no rock bottom. It's a bottomless pit of lawlessness and dread.
“I often hear the phrase: "Do you want it to be like it is in Ukraine?" I live in Ukraine and yes, I want things to be like they are here. So that a boxer can become a mayor, so a man who makes jokes can get elected president, so that people can be free. But this is a slow process.”
- What are you planning to come back?
- I don't.
- Never?
- Yes. I don't plan to return.
“At the moment, I see no reasons to return to Belarus [from Ukraine]. I see the events from the side. The situation has been developing so quickly that I understood... Well, they say that the rock bottom has been broken through and we are falling further, but there is no rock bottom. It's a bottomless pit of lawlessness and dread.
“I often hear the phrase: "Do you want it to be like it is in Ukraine?" I live in Ukraine and yes, I want things to be like they are here. So that a boxer can become a mayor, so a man who makes jokes can get elected president, so that people can be free. But this is a slow process.”
- What are you planning to come back?
- I don't.
- Never?
- Yes. I don't plan to return.
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The Mothers' March in Minsk
In the evening, on October 12, Seigei Gun was driving down the Pritytskaga street in Minsk and got stuck in a slow-moving traffic. He saw uniformed policemen at the bus station and started filming them. In a few minutes, they stopped him, broke his car's window, took him out and started beating him.
Archbishop Veniamin, head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, forbade the song “Mahutny Bozha” (“God Almighty”) in the churches. According the the cleric, “this is a layman's song that divides our society.”
🔖 “Mahutny Bozha” (originally named “Prayer”) is a poem written by Nataliya Arsenyeva in 1943. In 1947 Nikolai Ravensky wrote music for it, creating a religious anthem for the Belarusian emigrants.
🔖 “Mahutny Bozha” (originally named “Prayer”) is a poem written by Nataliya Arsenyeva in 1943. In 1947 Nikolai Ravensky wrote music for it, creating a religious anthem for the Belarusian emigrants.
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A policeman's car has been set on fire in Mogilev, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs' press service. A criminal case has been started to investigate the purposeful large-scale destruction or damage of property.
Experts are working, camera footage is being watched, and witnesses are being questioned.
Experts are working, camera footage is being watched, and witnesses are being questioned.
Lukashenko's plane landed in Hamburg for maintenance, but the Lufthansa Technik trade union made a statement that could jeopardize the work.
“This is the plane of the very same Lukashenka that gave an order to use live ammunition against the protesters in Belarus. We, the trade union activists of Lufthansa Technik remember the ancient tradition of international solidarity and are standing side-by-side with the Belarusian workers,” the union leaflet says.
“This is the plane of the very same Lukashenka that gave an order to use live ammunition against the protesters in Belarus. We, the trade union activists of Lufthansa Technik remember the ancient tradition of international solidarity and are standing side-by-side with the Belarusian workers,” the union leaflet says.
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a meeting with Svetlana Alexievich in the Bellevue palace
Canada implemented sanctions against 31 more Belarusian officials “to put international pressure on Belarus.”
The list includes the former head of the KGB Valeri Vakulchik and his deputies, deputy ministers of internal affairs and other law enforcement officials.
This is a response to “gross and systematic breach of human rights committed in Belarus,” the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
On September 29, Canada implemented sanctions against 11 Belarusian officials, including Lidia Yermoshina (head of the Central Elections Commission), Alexander Lukashenko and his son Victor, head of the Minsk riot police Dmitry Balaba, and others.
The list includes the former head of the KGB Valeri Vakulchik and his deputies, deputy ministers of internal affairs and other law enforcement officials.
This is a response to “gross and systematic breach of human rights committed in Belarus,” the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
On September 29, Canada implemented sanctions against 11 Belarusian officials, including Lidia Yermoshina (head of the Central Elections Commission), Alexander Lukashenko and his son Victor, head of the Minsk riot police Dmitry Balaba, and others.