News on the topic: torture
23.10.2023 Employee of the Navapolack penal colony convicted of beating a prisoner
Viasna reports a rare case of punishment of a colony employee for violence against a prisoner.
19.10.2023 Shot in knees and jailed: what Belarusians risks for their anti-war stance
As of October 18, 2023, at least 1,630 Belarusians were detained for their anti-war position. Of these, 79 persons were convicted in criminal cases for a term of 1 to 23 years.
16.10.2023 "There are no rules: they will do what they want." A former political prisoner spoke about the detention conditions in a punitive confinement cell where Vitold Ashurak died
The former political prisoner told Viasna about the conditions of detention in a punitive confinement cell in the Šklou colony, where he was kept alone for three weeks.
12.10.2023 "You haven't had your balls crushed, have you? We'll come to the police station, and you'll find out what it is." A story of a former political prisoner
Aliaksei told Viasna about being tortured during detention: his ear was torn and an officer forced him to drink from the toilet bowl after the former prisoner asked for water.
05.10.2023 At her trial, activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk reported beatings and pressure in the penal colony
Viasna recounts what happened at the first court hearing in the case of Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.
26.06.2023 Pavel Sapelka: “Era of arbitrary rule will end, and those responsible will inevitably face the consequences”
An interview with the Viasna lawyer at the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
31.05.2023 Unveiling the shadows of Škloŭ colony: A former inmate's account on life and work conditions in jail
A survivor of Škloŭ Colony reveals disturbing detention conditions and systemic abuses.
26.05.2023 Political prisoner Viktoryia Kulsha subjected to abuse in detention
Viktoryia Kulsha, facing extended imprisonment, alleges harsh conditions, abuse, and multiple heart attacks due to ongoing hunger strikes.
17.05.2023 Andrei Ashurak: “Bringing Vitold's case to an end is important for the whole society”
Viasna talked to Andrei Ashurak, Vitold’s brother, about the testimonies of Vitold’s fellow prisoners, the investigation, and the restoration of justice.
07.04.2023 Extreme forms of protest used by political prisoners in Belarus
Severe pressure, torture, and unbearable living and working conditions increasingly force political prisoners to express their protest using harsh methods.
08.02.2023 IAPB: 14,300 documents relating to 2,052 survivor-victims already digitized and archived
The International Accountability Platform for Belarus (IAPB) released its third progress report for February-September 2022.
01.02.2023 Nasta Loika zapped with stun gun for failing to give out her Telegram password
The incident was used to intimidate another detained rights defender.
11.01.2023 “Gas sprayed into ventilation reached us”: Akrescina facilities detention conditions throughout 2022 in detainees own words
Viasna's month-by-month chronicle shows the scale of repression and how the methods of pressure on Belarusians used by law enforcers and authorities have (not) changed throughout 2022.
11.01.2023 Administrative prosecution in 2022: At least 6,380 arrests
Viasna's yearly review of the administrative prosecution on political grounds.
02.01.2023 "The whole floor was covered in my blood." Former detainee speaks of torture
A Minsk resident told Viasna about the two-hour torture and beatings by the officers of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, the nurse's response to his broken finger, and the detention conditions in TDC in July this year.
