Protesters Beaten up in Paddy Wagons by Riot Policemen

All arrested participants of the protest rally against the economic policy of the government towards small business in Belarus held on January 10 in Minsk are placed to Akrestsin Street prison.

Workers of the special detention facility have agreed to take from relatives to pass to imprisoned warm cloths and sanitary articles only. Food wasn’t allowed to be brought to them, Radio Svaboda informs.

23 participants of the rally have been sentenced to arrest. 5 persons who have been put to prison were injured. Among them are Mikhas Kryvau. He told to Radio Svaboda, that they were beaten up in paddy wagons.

“I was detained in Independence Avenue, taken to a paddy-wagon and thrown down on the floor. Riot policemen were hit on the back of the head by truncheons. All who were in the paddy wagon were beaten. Girls were beaten up and inflicted moral damage. All kinds of obscene and insulting words were told to them”.

A student of the University of Culture Tatsyana Tsishkevich was beaten up by riot policemen in a paddy wagon. In the court she demonstrated her blood-stained coat. Despite of the fact that policemen didn’t allow anybody approach the detained, Tastyana managed to say a few words when she left the court room”

“They were shouting at me using, swearing, beating me… They used all kinds of swear words”.

Tatsyana is the only person arrested for 20 days. Unlike guys, females have to serve the sentence in harsher conditions. Most often they are kept in the same ward with women addicted to alcohol, who were arrested after their relatives called in police as they were violent. Quite often there are cases when policemen call in a team of psychiatrists after heavy drinkers develop an alcoholic mania, and are really dangerous for their fellow inmates.

After the new Code of penal procedure came into force, workers of the special detention facility do not take food parcels for the arrested. Friends and relatives of the detained with many difficulties have managed to give the detainees only water. Parents of Arsen Pakhomau, who is serving 15 days of arrest now, asked doctors of the emergency aid to influence the situation and pass food to the detainees, but in vain.

“He is sick now. He has flu, and besides, he has a sick throat, running nose and problems with his stomach. I asked to pass him drops and pills. I am so anxious. I do not know whether he is has food, what is his condition now. But they agreed to take a warm sweater for him”.

Second Secretary of the US Embassy Steven Gillen told to Radio Svaboda that to keep people without food and water for several hours is a violation of elementary human rights.

“We hope that the regime would treat these young people better in the future”.

People who are serving their sentences after imposing new rules note that food has become much worse in prisons. Now a glass of tea and a slice of bread a given for a breakfast. Dinner is combined with supper. It consists of soup, porridge and a cup of tea.

It is cold in prison wards. There is not enough fresh air. Nobody is taken for a walk. Besides, the so-called “political prisoners” are not allowed to participate in “community works”. They are allowed to take a shower once a week.