“Violence is not over.”
By: Voices Belarus
Tags: Police, Protest, Belarus, Prayforbelarus, Violence

“Violence is not over.”

On November 8th over a thousand people were detained in Minsk. People were forced to stand with the hands up for hours, sprayed with gas, and humiliated. Tut.by and human rights defenders have collected evidence from the detainees who received fines and have already been released. Brutal behavior against detainees, that had shocked the whole Belarus, is partially back to detention centers and police departments. By the way, there is still not a single criminal case opened against special forces on the events in August.

Another Sunday protest march happened in Minsk on November 8th, although it couldn’t even be called a full-fledged march. People were allowed to gather together only for a short time in groups of several thousand at the most. Most small groups were detained by special forces right after the start. The detentions were going on until night time.

We were lucky to talk to several dozen detainees who have spent up to three days in detention centers and police departments, got fines, and now have been released. They were mostly women (it’s illegal to administratively arrest women who have minor children). Summarizing the evidence we can conclude that the special forces are back to brutal detentions, inhuman detainees’ treatment, from placing into special autos and to imprisonment. People were being humiliated — they were shouted at and threatened, their phones were taken away and all the messengers and chats were checked, they were beaten and sprayed with gas, were held with no food and water, transported in overcrowded special transport, kept in cells with the number of people high above the norm. One of the latest “innovations” is to walk on a white-red-white flag. Who refused to do that, was at risk of being beaten.

By request from the interviewees and for security reasons, we do not mention their name, they are all being kept in our office.

We were not given food at all, they gave a piece of bread to the women with Diabetes.

“I was detained near City Hall”, says a woman from Minsk, she is 33 years old.” “There was no resistance from my side, I went calmly to the paddy wagon. There were other women too. I took off my phone to call my husband but they rudely teared it out of my hands. Then we changed the wagons twice. There was a white-red-white flag at the entrance and we had to walk on it. I didn’t want to do that and I bent down to put it away. At this moment the soldier threw me into a so-called “cup”. A “cup” is a cell that is made for one person. There were three of us in it: me, a 71-year-old woman and Olga Hizhinkova. They sprayed gas into the “cups” even though no one showed any resistance and said nothing. At this time men were carried inside. They made the men stay on their knees and beat them heavily, also they marked them with paint and wet their hair. We were all brought to Zavodskoi district police department.

We were standing by the wall outdoors there for some time, then we were taken to the hall, it was around 4PM. I stayed in the police department till 1AM. At the inspection they found my white-red-white flag, a young police woman threw it down on the floor with disgust, her colleague wearing a balaclava stepped on it and the flag was not included in the inventory list, for sure. I asked them for permission to call my family but they didn’t let me do that. While I was in the police department, my family tried to transfer some things to me, but they refused to take them, referring to COVID. We were let into WC quite often, one could drink tap water there. At 1AM they put 32 women (most of them were older than 50, the oldest one was 71 years old) into a bus and transferred us to Zhodino. Having arrived in Zhodino, we spent an hour waiting at the prison yard, as there were too many paddy wagons.

They made us form a chain. The 50-year-old woman was the first one, there was a white-red-white flag at the entrance again, she didn’t want to step on it, then the young officer pushed her in a chest and made her step on the flag. If they treat a 50-year-old woman like that, I was horrified about what they could do to me. Then they told us, swearing, to form a chain, squat down and run this way. They said that to the women, some of whom were elderly ones, around 60–70-year-old! If some of them fell down and couldn’t run, the security guards pushed them and said that the other people would be squatting longer because of them. All that was supported by swearings. Then we had to put the head down, bend on 90 degrees, put the hands behind the back and run that way. I was the first one, my heart was about to burst, I didn’t see where to run as my head was down. This is the way we were running along prison corridors at 4AM. Then we had to stand by the grate, turn out the palms and hold the hands up as high as we can. Then we were stripped naked and the young female officer was waving a baton nearby. On her command, we had to put our breasts up, turn around, show the perineum. We got into a cell by 5AM, where we were not even allowed to sit down, we were forced to stay with our hands behind the back and head down. Then we were allowed to sleep but that was impossible, as there were 23 of us in a 6-place cell, there were no mattresses or linens. The most terrible thing was to hear the men being humiliated: they made them sing the national anthem, beat them with batons. They didn’t give us food at all. When the 61-year-old woman felt bad as she had Diabetes, we started knocking at the door. But they showed up only in an hour and gave her a piece of bread.”

They made us walk single file squatting, run up to the cell

“I was detained on November 8th at 12.30PM in Masherov Avenue, not far from Development Bank,” the Minsker says, whose name is not mentioned at his request. “I was walking with no protest symbols, there were not so many people at this time, a van arrived, there was no way to escape. They led me politely into the bus, and requested my phone. I gave my cell phone to them, they have found several pictures from September protests and political Telegram chats, then we interchanged paddy wagons several times. I saw many people in them, some of them were beaten and not, with their hands tied up and not. They didn’t tie up my hands. There was a believer in a wagon, he tried to talk to the officers, told them some facts — it was like talking to a stone wall, it’s evident that they are influenced by propaganda.

I was taken to Pervomaisky District police department, where we were sitting in the sports hall, no one was beaten, there was no brutal treatment, we could easily go to WC. First, they wrote down all our personal details, then created official records. The police officer who was writing down records on me, even let me call my family.

Around 11PM they took us to Zhodino, the paddy wagon was full: someone was sitting on the benches, someone was on the floor, sometimes we interchanged the places. The security guards didn’t touch anyone, they also gave water and opened the windows if somebody needed. They also placed a portable camera, so that we didn’t say later one that we’d been beaten.

And here’s the craziest thing. We were dropped off in Zhodino (Detention center and prison are located there — TUT.by). There were a couple of police officers who made us run squatting, I was beaten a couple of times by the baton on my knee. We got to the cells, everyone was put near grates and they started rewriting our personal data. We had to put our clothes off all in one room, then we had to squat there. Then we were placed in cells, there were 13 people in 6-place cell, they didn’t give us linens. The door was opened only the next day to give us some fresh air. There were people of different ages and professions, it was a pleasure to stay there together, there was less pressure, even though it was hard to realize what was going on.

On the second day, a Mayor entered our cell and said: six people can go home if they sign the official record. I didn’t think for long, I felt so dizzy — I agreed, the court session lasted for a couple of minutes, they read the record and warned that the next time I may be prosecuted. They started to draw up my leaving, it was all quite calm. I had a talk with the girls, they told me that the guards even made the 60-year-old woman run squatting. We were met by unknown people at the entrance to the detention center, who gave us hot tea and cookies. They drove us home to Minsk. Great thanks to them all and to everyone who supported us.”

The foreigner was released while the stranger girl was crying — she was fighting for him with police officers.

“I was detained and carried to Moskovsky District police department and then to Okrestina detention center,” a woman from Minsk says. “There was a lot of humiliation, but it was bearable for an adult person. My relative had less luck as she got to Zhodino, where they were extremely cruel to men. This is what she said: “They have innovation in paddy wagons. They put a white-red-white flag on the floor so we had to walk on them. There was a very scared foreigner in front of me in the first wagon. Seems like he didn’t know Russian language at all. He was wearing sport shorts and his eyes were open wide as if he was saying: “Wow what a jog I had in the center of Europe at midday!” He was immediately released while the girl, who was bravely fighting for him with special forces soldiers, was crying nearby. Right at the entrance, they beat a guy for a sticker with protest symbols and a laser pointer. Such people were marked with paint. I know then they cut this guy’s hair.”

There was a fire in our paddy wagon on the way to the police department and the “cup” was immediately filled with smoke. The “cup” was totally full with six beautiful ladies. Frankly speaking, I felt totally animal fear, just the awareness that no one is going to heroically save us. The fire happened because of an exploded cell phone with antiseptic on it. When they heard our cough, they opened the windows.

Later on, in the morning they were transferring us to Zhodino in the same “cups”. There were 5–6 people per a “cup” for 2 — it was around 70x100cm, we didn’t know where our arms and legs and realized there was a long way ahead. But we were standing still — this was our contribution. There were 120 people gathered together in the police department hall. Around half of them were women, the oldest one was 73! The officers were not brutal, except for not giving us water to drink, They said “It’s your problem” when we asked for it. We stood still — this was our contribution.

Night shift in Zhodino treated us very angrily: they shouted at us, humiliated, insulted. I was ready for such treatment, but it was still difficult to suffer all that “hands behind the back, head down”. They placed us in a chain and led us along long prison corridors squatting, made us crawl and jump…Yes, this was their concept — humiliate a person, make him feel totally uncomfortable.

In the morning a new shift arrived, they called us “girls”, and this strengthened our spirit. Actually, none of the girls shed a single tear! There were 24 of us in the cell for 6, like in the bus at high traffic time! No air, no food, with a terrible headache. But there were no moaners, no wiping or tears!

We stood still, this was our contribution. Frankly speaking, thinking about one more day there oppressed me, but I didn’t let such thoughts to myself, thinking about our political prisoners.

While getting ready for leaving, waiting for a court session, we saw our men through the open cell door. They were beaten, rumpled, but with the light in their eyes. They were sending us hearts and victory signs and we did the same back. I am especially grateful to the drivers who signalled to paddy wagons, you cannot even imagine how supportive it was.

We were transported in iron “cups” as if we were meat.

“On November 8th we were surrounded by special forces soldiers near Stella in Minsk, there were a lot of their buses there. The soldiers were over-excited,” one of the detainees recalls. “First they detained men of all ages: from young boys to elderly men. Then they turned to women: the detentions were brutal, people were beaten and sprayed with gas. After leaving the surrounding I went along the Nezavisimosti avenue to the place where my husband was expecting me. I met Nina Baginskaya on my way and accompanied her for some time in the company of 20–30 women. They detained us near the “Evening Minsk” editorial office with the others occasionally passing by — altogether 25 women. They took us to the Pervomaisky District police department. There was a brutally beaten woman with me, she was crying and asking for an ambulance. An ambulance took her from the police department to the Ambulance hospital. In the police department yard, they brutally carried one more woman, beat her with batons and fists, broke her glasses because she refused to place her face on the car hood.

We were held in the gym till 4AM. There were men too. One of them was taken away by ambulance car. They took him back in a while, even though he felt bad. Then I got to the Okrestina detention center. I was not arrested only because I have a kid. And the scariest thing was that we were carried in iron “cups” as if we were meat: they filled the “cups” with people, we felt bad, we were insulted — it was really scary. The floors in paddy wagons were covered with white-red-white flags. They treated us like cattle, except for a couple of officers, there are some sympathizers among them. I was shocked by what was going on. But I mostly worry about the arrested people. They were scared, broken and all their thoughts were about the fact that it all was not in vain.”

The guy couldn’t even walk after Zhodino corridors. They broke him both legs.

“I was recording how the officer was brutally detaining a guy. Another officer came up to me and led me to the police van,” the girl detained on November 8th says. “He checked up my video and Instagram. He found nothing interesting, except for Belsat, I think. But my Mum’s phone number is saved as “Anarchy”. He noticed that his colonel entered the bus. I started explaining that this was the way I saved my Mum’s contact, but got a heavy blow to my head. I got scared they’d keep on beating me, but they tied me and took to the paddy wagon. Thank God, I was not marked with the paint. Then there was a standard document check in the Central District police department. After official records were created, we were all led to the criminal investigation department, they took evidence on a criminal case, one of the officers took pictures on his phone.

Then we were all taken to Zhodino. No one was beaten in our wagon, but the girls, who were brought after us, said that men were brutally beaten in their wagon.

We were treated quite well, they placed us in a cell with WC inside, didn’t shout at us because of sitting on a plank bed during the day. But they didn’t give us food at all, only after the court session, they said. But they kept on screaming at men with filthy words, beating them with batons. There were 24 people in a cell for 6. One guy has been released with us, girls, after the court session. He couldn’t even stay after the Zhodino corridors, they broke him both legs. He could hear with one ear only. We took him to volunteers and I do not know what happened to him further.