‘Welcome to Gestapo’: The arrest of artist Dzmitry Padrez

Political prisoner and street art artist (known as Dzima Dream) Dzmitry Padrez was sentenced to seven years in prison a month and a half ago. Dzmitry was detained on July 15 last year. Viasna human rights defenders learned from his former cellmate that the political prisoner had been beaten and abused by police officers during his arrest. 

The police threatened sexual violence upon arrest

Footage of the detention of the IT specialist appeared on July 16 on the GUBOP Telegram channel; it shows that two SWAT officers roped down from the roof to his windows and broke into his apartment.

After they got into the apartment, Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) officers, among whom were Valer Vysotski, Astashka, and Volkau, came in.

“They ran into the bathroom, grabbed him, and put him on the floor. His hands were handcuffed. Officer Vysotski took a plaster model of a hand from the shelf, put a condom on it, and said, “Let's put it in the back passage.” Yet he put the plaster hand near Dzmitry's head. And before that, the SWAT member kicked him in the thighs, and the other slapped his face. They asked for a password, and Dzmitry gave it.

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They took him to the police department. When they arrived, Vysotski said, ‘Welcome to the Gestapo’,” Dzmitry's former cellmate told Viasna.

Dzmitry was forced to sign a confession of guilt

The detention of Dzmitry Padrez became publicly known from a “repentant” video published on the GUBOP Telegram channel. As it turned out, the video was recorded only on the fifth attempt.

“They printed out the text that he was supposed to read in the video,” says a former cellmate of a political prisoner.

The detention of Dzmitry at the police station was also handled by GUBOPiK officer Aliaksandr Alioksa.

Criminal case was brought after 30 days of administrative imprisonment

After that, officer Astashka forced him into writing admission of guilt as if he surrendered voluntarily, dictating the text of what to write. Then there was also a “conversation” with Andrei Makarevich, an officer of GUBOPiK.

Then Dzmitry Padrez was taken to the Centraĺny district police department, where a report on administrative offenses was drawn up. He was convicted twice in a row under Article 24.3 of the Administrative Code for “disobedience to police officers”. The artist spent a total of 30 days of administrative imprisonment in the detention center on Akrescina street. After that, he became a defendant in a criminal case. Prior to trial, Dzmitry was kept for eight months in Pre-trial detention center No. 1. He was sentenced by Judge Siarhei Khrypach.

After the verdict, he was transferred to Mahilioŭ prison No. 4, where the political prisoner remains to this day. His appeal is expected to be considered soon.