Ruptured lungs, rape of a minor, torture. Protesters in Belarus are suffering

Russia’s investigative group of independent journalists MediaZona published a report from Belarus entitled Beaten Minsk on Wednesday on its website. She claims that she was handed over to her anonymously. The report contains all available information on the consequences of the protests, including tables with brief information on each beating of the protesters and materials confirming their torture. That is why the data in the report look very credible.

According to the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, which pointed out the report, the silovics focused mainly on young men during the protests. The average age of the wounded is 31, the most serious injuries were caused by rubber bullets and flash grenades. The Silovics targeted their blows (and it should be added that they still target) mainly on the heads, chest and abdomen. Alexander Tarajkowski, who took part in a protest at the Pushkinskaya metro station, also died of injuries to these parts of the body on August 10. Severe injuries leading to damage to the skull suffered, especially those who were hit by a rubber bullet in the head. Similarly, serious injuries were caused by grenades, which were used extensively during the first days of the protests.

Hundreds injured

MediaZona cites several examples: “A 30-year-old man lost his right leg as a grenade exploded, a 33-year-old man had a broken lower spine, one of the men had a shrapnel ruptured in his chest, resulting in pneumothorax.” And hundreds more were hospitalized with broken arms , ribs…

❗️A video from a prison van has emerged which shows how Lukashenko’s police treat detainees: pic.twitter.com/zwEZGTaEgF

– NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 11, 2020

According to the report, more than half of those arrested were beaten in police buses, police departments or the Okrestino and Žodino prisons. In some cases, torture lasted for several days. Published documents show that detainees left police stations and prisons with cracked skulls, bruises on their backs, hips, shoulder blades and buttocks. Concussion was diagnosed in 200 people. Photographs and medical records show that the detainees were most likely knocked to the ground and then brutally beaten with rubber batons called dubinky in Belarus.

On Sunday, October 11, the opposition channel NEXTA published material that shows how the arrested demonstrators are being led among the ranks of power lines and are being beaten by these oaks. According to MediaZona, quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza, at least three detained protesters were brutally raped in Okrestino remand prison. They were all men, one was 17 years old.

Violence against women and minors

But the victims were not just men. Among the injured are 24 minors, one of whom had to be put to artificial sleep. The oldest wounded woman was a 72-year-old woman, the silovik broke her wrist.

So far, no single disciplinary or criminal proceedings have been instituted against the actions of the uniformed members, who for the most part stand behind the current President Alexander Lukashenko in Belarus. By contrast, the opposition Belarusian

The Wiasna Center for the Protection of Human Rights registers at least 350 prosecutions against protesters. The most common allegations are: participation in riots, resistance and violence against members of the security authorities, rioting or public nuisance.

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