Former detainee talks about torture at GUBOPIK office

The former detainee told Viasna about torture at GUBOPiK, conditions at detention center, and how he was mistakenly released before the second trial.

In early autumn, a resident of Minsk was brutally arrested by law enforcement officers. The man was severely beaten on the way to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) and in the department.

“They took me out of the car, just as they were putting me in it. Bent in half, facing the ground. As we walked, there were constant blows to my legs. So, I was brought to GUBOPiK. We walked, I was practically dragged down the corridor. [In the office] they all started laughing together and commenting that the next ‘zmagar’ (Belarusian for ‘fighter’, here referring to the protesters against Lukashenka regime–Editor’s note) will now be killed.

 So after the beating, they put me in front of the office door to record a “repentant video”. They buttoned up my shirt and put sunglasses on my forehead. […] The video with me was never posted. I think it was because it was too obvious that I was beaten up.”

The court sentenced the man to 15 days of administrative imprisonment, he has been transferred to detention center.

 “Throughout our detention, there were the following conditions: wooden planks on the floor, on which we slept; the light was on all day and night; depending on the shift, there were nightly roll-calls, sometimes every two hours, sometimes once during the night. There were no mattresses or anything else on the bunks. Lying and sleeping on the bare metal was impossible.

I got COVID-19 in my cell. I knew that if it got really bad, no one would help me.”

On his way out of the detention center, the man was detained again but was mistakenly released before the second trial.

He left Belarus right after his release to avoid another term in prison.