News on the topic: torture
01.11.2021 Germany: Human rights groups file complaint against Belarusian officials
A lawsuit has been filed against a group of Belarusian security officials for crimes against humanity — including torture. Rights groups have asked German prosecutors to take on the case.
28.10.2021 “It’s scary to never see your child back home.” Survivor stories
Alena told Viasna about what many Belarusian mothers went through when their children did not return home last summer. In August 2020, her 17-year-old son disappeared, he was searched for 5 days, and when found, she cried out in horror.
21.10.2021 “He tore my clothes, beat and insulted me.” Survivor stories
Nearly one year ago, on October 25, Aliaksandra (not her real name) was arrested while she was hiding with her friends in the entrance hall of an apartment building after the dispersal of a peaceful protest in Minsk. She was half strangled with her own scarf and her shoulder was injured. The girl told her story to Viasna.
19.10.2021 Prison conditions for people arrested for commenting on killed KGB officer amount to torture
Most people detained last month for commenting on the Zeltser case are being held in inhumane conditions, according to their families.
03.09.2021 International Accountability Platform condemns Belarus’s decision not to initiate criminal investigations into allegations of torture and ill-treatment
The IAPB calls on Belarus to respect its obligations under international law.
27.08.2021 As authorities say they will not prosecute police officers over torture reports, Viasna pledges to continue documenting abuse
The Investigative Committee said yesterday that it would not open any criminal cases, after completing an investigation into some 680 statements filed by post-election protesters to report torture and other types of ill-treatment at the hands of security forces.
06.08.2021 Viasna’s Andrei Paluda leaves Belarus, describes detention conditions as inhuman
Andrei Paluda, human rights defender of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and coordinator of the campaign “Human Rights Defenders against the Death Penalty in Belarus”, has left Belarus after detention and imminent criminal charges.
06.07.2021 HRDs demand investigation into torture and ill-treatment of Mikalai Dziadok and other prisoners
In light of the shocking details of torture and ill-treatment by GUBOP officers, voiced by Mikalai Dziadok in court on 1 July 2021, representatives of the Belarusian human rights community urge the General Prosecutor's Office and the Investigative Committee to institute criminal proceedings, identify those responsible for torture and ill-treatment and take measures to hold them responsible.
05.07.2021 Viasna's human rights activist spoke about beatings during detention
Human rights defender and member of the Board of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Zmitser Salaujou is preparing a petition against the officers of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOP).
29.06.2021 Civic Solidarity Platform's anti-torture working group presents its second Index on Torture
In 2020, the Working Group developed the Index and conducted the first pilot measurement in 8 countries of the OSCE region.
09.06.2021 Prisoner swallows “metallic objects” to protest torture
Artsiom Anishchuk swallowed several metallic objects to avoid “physical and psychological violence” he has been subjected to during his stay at penal colony No. 15 in Mahilioŭ, novychas.by said quoting the inmate’s lawyer, who managed to see his client for the first time since May 13.
24.03.2021 Joint statement by 19 states in support of the establishment of the International Accountability Platform for Belarus
Statement on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America
24.03.2021 HRDs launch International Accountability Platform for Belarus
New international accountability platform will contribute to the efforts aimed at ensuring accountability for serious human rights violations in Belarus
28.01.2021 New report exposes denial of justice for victims of torture and police violence
Authorities in Belarus are using a variety of stratagems to thwart fair investigations into hundreds of complaints of violence and acts of torture by security forces following disputed presidential elections, says a report published today by two human rights groups, the Committee Against Torture (CAT Russia) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).
27.01.2021 Impunity for perpetrators of torture reinforces need for international justice
A new report by Amnesty International reveals how the Belarusian authorities have weaponized the justice system to punish victims of torture rather than perpetrators, as part of a widespread and brutal crackdown on dissent in the wake of post-election protests.
