Violence is systemic. New study on the torture of political prisoners in Belarus

The academic journal Torture has published the first systematic study of torture and ill-treatment of Belarusian political prisoners since 2020. Its authors are human rights defender Maryna Kasinerава, psychiatrists Uladzimir Pikirenia, Yulia Lahvinenka and Andreas Maercker. They interviewed 77 former detainees who had left Belarus after their release.

According to the article, the majority of political prisoners (85.7%) reported physical or psychological violence that they had already experienced at the time of their detention. In places of detention, physical violence was reported by 88.3% of respondents. Former political prisoners most frequently mentioned forced undressing and other humiliating procedures (72.1%), stress positions (50%), and beatings (44.1%).

Psychological pressure proved even more widespread: 98.6% of respondents reported experiencing it. More than half — 54.8% — endured ten or more different forms of such treatment.

These included lights left on permanently in cells, extreme cold or heat, denial of medical care, verbal abuse, sleep deprivation and information isolation.

More than half (52.1%) of former political prisoners were placed in punishment cells or solitary confinement. A third (30.1%) experienced suicidal thoughts during their detention. A smaller proportion (12.3%) engaged in self-harm. Four respondents reported suicide attempts.

At the same time, the respondents did not identify physical torture as their main source of stress. For 74% of those affected, the most difficult experiences were the inability to see their families and the feeling of loneliness, as well as constant humiliation and isolation (58.9% of respondents).

The researchers examined how former political prisoners themselves perceived the purpose of such violence. The vast majority of prisoners (81.9%) cited the degradation of human dignity, while 80.6% cited the suppression of the individual. By comparison, the extraction of confessions or information was noted by 58.3% of respondents.

The study's authors conclude that violence in Belarusian places of detention is systemic in nature and is used not only to extract information, but also to strip individuals of their autonomy and suppress their identity.