belarus executive summary - US Department of State

BELARUS 6
nationwide average. In the Mahilyou region, local prosecutors reported in April
that while 80 percent of prisons were overcrowded, prison administrations failed to
provide adequate medical assistance to inmates only in isolated instances.
In August authorities reported that of the 50,000 inmates held nationwide,
approximately 38,000 persons were in prisons and 7,380 were in pretrial detention
facilities. Approximately 4,500 other persons were held in a form of internal exile
known as “khimiya.” Persons sentenced to khimiya were allowed to work outside
of detention facilities but were required to return to prison barracks where they
lived under strict conditions and supervision.
According to NGOs and former prisoners, authorities routinely abused prisoners.
Former prisoners credibly reported that their complaints to higher authorities were
often censored or not forwarded by prison officials, and that prison administrators
either ignored or selectively considered requests for investigation of alleged
abuses. Complaints could result in retaliation against prisoners who spoke out,
including humiliation, death threats, or other forms of punishment. For example,
in August a former prisoner at the Hlybokae high security prison stated that guards
beat and abused inmates after prisoners complained about their conditions and
sought a meeting with the prosecutor general. Two prisoners began a hunger
strike. The Internal Affairs Ministry dismissed as false the reports of disturbances
at Hlybokae prison. On October 20, the Vitsyebsk regional prosecutor reported
that a probe into the beatings established that use of force against inmates was
justified “to restore order” in jail after inmates put forward “illegitimate demands”
and injured themselves.
Prisoners and detainees had limited access to visitors, and denial of meetings with
families was a common punishment for disciplinary violations. Political prisoners
were often denied meetings with families as a means of pressure and intimidation.
For example, political prisoner and former presidential candidate Dzmitry Uss’
scheduled three-day visit with his wife in September was unexpectedly shortened
to one day.
Credible sources maintained that prison administrations turned other inmates
against political prisoners for purposes of intimidation and to compel confessions.
They also reported that authorities neither explained nor protected their legal rights
and penalized inmates for any minor violation of the “internal regime.” For
example, on June 17, Mikita Likhavid, convicted of participating in postelection
demonstrations, was placed in solitary confinement for the fourth time in 40 days.
The harsh conditions in solitary confinement reportedly included denial of
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor