Alesia Yasiuk is tortured by police

07.07.2008. Tags: detentions, BSDP, elections-2008.
Source: RFE/RL.

Alesia said to RFE/RL that she was in staying in the state of shock and called the police actions torture and mockery.

Alesia Yasiuk, activist of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party from Barysau, stated to RFE/RL about a fact of torture towards her from the side of Minsk police. She said that on 6 July she was detained in Bahdanovich Street in Minsk. The policemen searched her handbag and found there several stickers calling to boycott the parliamentary elections.

Then Yasiuk was taken to Tsentralny district police department of Minsk. Two persons in civvies came to the room where she was kept and brought a video camera with them. One of them tore the hair-slide out of her hair and threw her spectacles to the ground.

According to Alesia, everything was directed by the police major Anatol Shytyka. The other tore into pieces the cover of her mobile phone and scratched her right palm to blood.

Then a female police officer came to the room and started undressing Alesia. This was shot on video by the present policemen. The activist demanded that they left the room, but they ignored her words. When the three hours of legal detention were over, she demanded that she be let go. Instead the policemen started intimidating her. They said they would take her to the prison in Akrestsin Street and put in the same cell with tramps. Alesia Yasiuk was let go after six hours of detention, only when she said that she would complain to the procuracy against the unlawful actions of the police.

Tsentralny district police department of Minsk confirmed that the activist was detained on 6 July, but did not tell anything about the reasons and details. The duty policeman refused to comment on Yasiuk’s statement about tortures. He said that major Shytyka was on a short rest and would come to work only on Wednesday.