Žlobin political prisoner Ihar Povarau is tortured with cold

According to the information received by the human rights activists, the former employee of the Žlobin steel plant, Ihar Povarau, has been placed in a solitary-confinement cell for 6 months and is tortured with the cold. Now, during the winter season, the window in his cell is always kept open and the temperature in the cell is practically the same as outside.

Ihar Povarau,  former employee of the BMZ steel plant in Žlobin, was arrested on November 23, 2020 for organizing a strike at the company in August 2020. On February 1, 2021, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment under Article 342 of the Belarusian Criminal Code for the gross violation of public order. The heavy sentence was handed down despite the fact that the employer waived its claims against the defendants, after they had compensated 1,088 BYN (about 380 EUR) in alleged losses suffered by the enterprise.

Workers sentenced to prison terms over political strike

Three employees of the government-owned BMZ steel works were found guilty of “breaching public order” (Part 1 of Art. 342 of the Criminal Code) during a strike demanding political change organized at the enterprise on August 17.