“The new Belarus is being born in these tortures”

How Аkrescina became a branch of hell

19 August 2020 | Maria Melekhina, KYKY.ORG

Journalist Maria Melekhina and photographer Egor Voinov visited an improvised detention camp near Akrescina, where most of the protesters were held captive for participating in peaceful protests in Minks. It is hard to estimate how many people are still kept inside – the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus and Akrescina itself are silent. Testimonies of those who were released from custody differ. Some say that almost no one is confined there, others claim the opposite. Which comes as no surprise since Akrescina consists of two separate institutions under one roof – CIP (Сenter for Isolation of Lawbreakers) and TDI (Temporary Detention Isolator). Even if one of the facilities is empty, the status of the other one still remains under question. 

No photos or videos are allowed to be taken in the whole area in an attempt to not provoke the violence against the people that are still kept inside. 
Upon entering the camp we are met by the priest – Father Pavel who says that here, at this exact place the new Belarus is to be born.

The priest says:

In our country lawlessness is taking action right now – I cannot describe it in other words. What is going on behind those walls remains unknown. We are staying silent in order to avoid any further harm. Of course, detractors still appear – for instance, yesterday a woman came, she started shouting – “Why are you here? I need to work! How much did they pay you?” People stopped buying into such provocations.  Lately no yelling is heard near Akrescina, but at the beginning hearing the moans of detainees was horrifying. The previous day I gave a ride to some of the released, they told me about the hell they went through. People were tortured for our freedom and our country. The new Belarus is being born in these tortures. Those who violated the law will be responsible for their actions. It is a pity I am not able to reach out to the hearts of the police officers inside.

Entering the camp, we see several zones where the advocates, doctors and psychologists are based. One zone which is designated to the port of call from citizens is filled with water bottles, clothes and blankets. Food and hot drinks are also served here. The area around the isolator is filled with pain and fear – people cover their faces and do not want to comment on the situation even anonymously. Volunteers assume that were their identities to be revealed, they’d be risking retaliation.

Volunteer Sergey is one of the few who agreed to talk to us. He stays at the camp near Akrescina for four days already, at night he sleeps on a chair. Sergey says that you need to stay here for some time in order to understand why people refuse to speak to journalists and reporters. “Words fail to describe the agony that is taking place at Akrescina. I was not intending to stay at the camp for so long, but here I am able to do more than at my job now.” 

Volunteers provide help for free without financial backing from any official organization nor the required paperwork for creating such camps. This leaves volunteers at a very vulnerable position against the authorities, police vans are monitoring the territory of the camp 24 hours a day. Volunteers are rightfully concerned for their own futures realizing that in no time they could join those who are inside. Sergey says:

As of today, nobody knows how many people are still incarcerated inside the facility – 20 or a thousand. One of the freed detainees would report there are no people remaining inside, whereas another would state the opposite – the cells are full. There are two different facilities inside Akrescina, one may be full and the other one empty. Nobody knows.  On top of that, many people are still missing and their relatives are unable to find them on any lists. Even if a person is on the list of the arrested it does not necessarily mean that they are actually kept at Akrescina. My friend was listed here at Akrescina, however, later on he was released from Slutsk, and then he had to come here to get his belongings. There is no official information on the arrested coming from Akrescina, so we can not correlate any data from the given lists.

While pointing at the water bottles piled up on the ground Sergey noted that it is only 10% of the supplies accumulated over the course of three days. Water that was left after the March of Solidarity near Stela was also brought here. “Unintentionally we became the supply center (laughing). Just now we have sent almost 3 tons of water to various hospices and homeless shelters. It’s not only Minsk, it’s Zhodzina, Baranovichi, Slutsk. We also convey clothes and food excess. The process goes extremely fast – at 12pm for example, we gave out bread and already at 1pm we saw the photos of this bread being sliced up and served at a canteen. Things got a little better now – the roads are not blocked, but we still have to look for vehicles. Once, a woman suggested to use a warehouse, but we could not get there because the roads were blocked,” says Sergey.

When asked if people living nearby are helping the volunteers, Sergey shakes his head: “No, they are mostly complaining that we interrupt their flow of life.” At one point Sergey gets suspicious and asks if we are the real journalists. He says that if we were bruised and injured, he would trust us more. I could not convince him that we are actually working at KYKY and the conversation comes to an end.

“People were marked with paint according to how hard the officers were allowed to hit them”

We see a young man limping to the entrance gates of the Temporary Custody Isolator with a casted leg:

You better speak to the detainees who came to take their stuff back. You will easily recognise them – injured and casted.

Coming a little closer we see an enormous amount of people standing in line near improvised tents with lists of people in order to get their belongings back. The blood on the grass catches my eye. When I asked one of the volunteers about the situation with the return of the belongings he replied that since the camp was organized the situation is getting a little better. Before volunteers came to Akrescina there was zero organization – just piles of belonging racked up in some rooms. When people were actually allowed to get their stuff back it simply wasn’t possible to find anything in this wreck.

“When we first asked the people standing around about why they are here they declined to answer being cautious that we might be authorities dressed as civilians. But after some discussion, Nikolay, who was detained on August 11th agreed to talk with us. Despite not taking part in the peaceful demonstrations, he was taken into custody for several days and came back to Akrescina with his pregnant wife to return his belongings. The following is his story as told to us:

I first arrived at CIP on August 11th. If you look over there, you can see the backyard where we were beaten up. They called it “roasting up”. I’ve spent three days at Akrescina and after that I was transferred to Slutsk for one more day. I never participated in the protests – I was coming back home. I was arrested between the metro stations Pushkinskaya and Sportivnaya. Well, how can I say arrested. I simply came up to some guy standing by and asked how I could avoid getting sucked into the whole mess with the authorities and get to Kamennaya Gorka where I was headed. He said that he would help so I followed him behind the corner where I saw a police van. I guess I was arrested because of the white bracelet which I was wearing – it seemed to be a “red light” for the police officers. On top of that, I had the Pahonia coat of arms as my phone background. So that’s how I was enlisted as a radical. This was at about 10pm. Later in court when the judge was giving the sentence to me he claimed that at 2am I was arrested somewhere at the barricades near Kamennaya Gorka screaming out various slogans against the government, which is not true.”

Personally, I wasn’t beaten up too badly, but I have seen how others were treated. Unconscious people were carried to regular cars and were being taken somewhere. There was one guy who had his collarbone broken and also had a heart block – a problem with his heart. This was on August 13th. He just fell down unconscious and they called an ambulance. When the medics arrived and started asking what are they doing to the people inside one of the OMON people responded with: “If you want to know what we are doing, we can take you inside and you’ll see for yourself.”

Furthermore people were being marked with paint depending on how severely it was allowed to hit them. Journalists had a separate mark – they had their own “roasting up”. There was some kind of blogger close to us – he had gone through the worst. I couldn’t see his face though, we weren’t allowed to raise our heads. We were forced to kneel down for 1,5 days. When someone moved, they were beaten. Also the people with white t-shirts and a red cross on it were getting beaten up with extra cruelty. They were helping people who were hurt during protests. If the police found any medical supplies on them, they would make a red cross on their back by hitting with their truncheons. “So you like crosses a lot? We’ll give you one.” One officer with a speech defect was especially cruel – many remembered him even after we were transferred to Slutsk. If I could hear his voice again, I’d recognize it for sure. Also a lot of people were mentioning some Karina from Frunzenski District Police Department. 

At the end, I was sentenced to 15 days even though I never signed anything. When I was asked in court if I had pleaded guilty, I obviously said no. But they had found witnesses: a police captain and an OMON officer. When I tried to object to their statements, they replied with:”Do you think you are the smartest one around here?” And gave me the sentence. After that we were laid down face to the ground and that’s how we spent our time until the evening. When it got dark about 120 people and myself were transferred to the vans and sent to Slutsk. They say many people were sent to other locations to improve the statistics for Minsk.

Many of the detained got there by accident. For example, there was one person who was returning from the countryside when he was arrested. Just after he exited his shuttle bus, the police officers twisted his arms behind his back. There also was a father with his son – who were of Caucasian descent – who had just parked the car near their apartment when they were detained. Another person arrested was a train operator who had just finished his shift and was headed to the subway station. And that’s where the police got him. The arrests were very random, with men being the main group of attention. However, they say that in Slutsk a pregnant woman had been detained, even though I’ve never seen her myself.

“They tried to shoot at me but they missed”

A guy who was sitting next to us suddenly spoke: “And I was just buying cigarettes at “Okean” grocery store at around 7:00 pm. I was detained for 72 hours.” A woman standing further off and looking away has finally shared her story too: “My husband went out to buy some bread and they detained him right at the mall.” A few people started gathering around us, including a catholic priest.

A priest named Alexander has complained that even churchmen are not allowed to enter the Akrescina detention center, although in all civilized countries it’s an unshakable right:

On Thursday, when they refused to let us in, we would give hygienic pads to the doctors so they pass them over. Literally shoving them into their pockets. How crazy is that? I’m a priest and I gave my vow of chastity. And I had to pass over the pads which was an essential at the time. There is nothing wrong about that but isn’t it insane? We can’t even hold a public prayer here because it might be considered as some action of solidarity, rally or a provocation. We can only speak to people personally. Archbishop Kondrusevich is aware of this situation. And he will be asking the authorities for permission for priests to go in.

During our conversation three Red Cross vans have driven up to the gates of Akrescina with humanitarian supplies. They were allowed to get in. “They let them in – they have agreements. On Friday we wanted to pass over some supplies for the detainees through them, but they didn’t take them. They said if Akrescina officials notice that, they might not let them in,” sighs the priest.

We’re meeting a famous and controversial artist Alexey Kuzmich. He has come to pick up his belongings too. Do you remember his performances? He is the one who “hanged” the Ministry of Cultural Affairs on his private parts, demonstrating his civic stance at the voting station on the 9th of August, and came out in front of the OMON police squad in the semblance of Jesus Christ the night of the same day. Next morning the officers came to the house where he lives, broke into the entrance hall and tried to hack their way through the front door using an axe. In an instant, Alexey has phoned a lawyer Sergey Zikratsky and the media. Here’s what happened next. Next up – the words of Alexey with no editorial changes.

They tried to capture me at a polling station but I’ve managed to get away. At night I continued my performance, when I came out to the middle of the avenue. Later on, a reporter from “Novaya Gazeta” said that they tried to shoot at me but they missed. I came home in the morning, and 5 minutes later, someone started to break in. They patched the peephole with a gum, said they were my friends and talked nonsense. The gum had fallen off at some point and I saw them wrecking the door with an axe. Soon the lawyer came and checked the IDs of those people. They turned out to be the officers from the Central district police office. There were three of them. They were led by some Major – I can’t remember his name.

They took me to the office for an interview. On the way there they asked me about my performances, said they were watching my art. But the guys were friendly only up to a certain time. At the district office they listened to my testimony and said I’m being “locked up”. The lawyer stayed with me up until the moment of drawing up the detention report, although they were trying to get him out – they would grab his shoulders and try to send him off. Then they threw me into a so-called “cup” [a small prison cell where one only has enough space for standing – translator’s note], and then I understood that they had taken away all of my rights – I was turned from an individual into some object that can be treated as one pleases.

In another cell of nine square meters 30 people were kept – we were standing tight, like canned fish. Someone would be taken out to be interrogated and beaten up, someone would return even naked. They said, the investigators at the 4th floor were especially abusive, beating the confessions out and forcing them to sign reports. I was kept there for two days, although some people would get transported during this time. On the second day, the OMON squad arrived. They took us to a yard and beat the hell out of us. Then they threw me into their van and took to Akrescina prison, where they beat the hell out of me again and put in an exercise yard – a cattle shed with a cell above and concrete walls. There were about a hundred people. About two hours later the doctors took me away – I got lucky. I was standing right next to the door and some young doctor noticed me. They asked if I had any complaints. My back was in severe pain – I couldn’t stand. They took me to the ambulance van, although the officers at Akrescina tried to resist it. They knew who I was, they disdained me and were saying they only started their sensitization campaign with me. I could feel that it’s either I’d have to leave the prison handicapped or not leave it at all. I’m very grateful to the doctors that took me out! Later, the doctor said that he rescued me on purpose because he knew they would be exceptionally brutal to me.

Later we learned that all of Alexey’s belongings were returned to him. He has a trial scheduled for the 19th of August. Currently he has bruises, hematomas and his back is still aching. Nevertheless, the artist refused to be medically examined. 

Still trying to process the stories told by people, the injustice and cruelty taking place at Akrescina, we’re heading towards the lawyers’ and doctors’ tents. A few meters further, a woman approaches us – either she heard rumours about some undercover journalists coming around or she simply saw my shock. Olga has turned out to be a counsellor – she helps those who come out of the detention center and their relatives. Here’s what she told us – her words with no editorial changes.

Almost everyone talks about being humiliated and physically abused at Akrescina. Many people got PTSD. This disorder may have different symptoms: anxiety, sensitivity, or the opposite – many people withdraw into themselves, fear of new people and places, paranoia. Almost everyone who has been inside these walls, are coming today to pick up their stuff accompanied by their family. The majority is simply afraid to go outside. Some haven’t come at all in order not to dive back into these emotions and memories. PTSD is a trauma with long-lasting consequences. It’s good if the people start to speak up and process their emotions, but there are other cases too. For example, an old lady came here today – her son was released from here. He has refused to come here – he is tortured by nightmares. Those who came out are beaten up, with broken limbs, broken spines. They say they would get hit so hard, that the truncheons would break. I heard a story from one of the released – his cellmate had his eye gouged out – it just drained out. He got hit too hard. And a lot of people would start getting beaten up even at the district police office. At Akrescina the people would be forced to stand on their knees barefoot in the yard. Sometimes over the whole night. Some would get swilled down with water on purpose.

“Punishers from Akrescina were broken by the system too”

We are coming up to the lawyers’ tent – they are ready to speak up only on the condition of anonymity and asking multiple times if the recording is going to be exposed online. They too recognize that this camp is improvised and at any time they can be asked to leave. “At times they are trying to make us go away – but we stay here because of how much public attention is drawn. There is no other option to provide this kind of help. Even today we were moved further away from the facility – the camp used to be located closer. It is possible that they ask us to move somewhere else tomorrow again – that’s how they treat us,” says one of the volunteers.

Lawyers rotate here all the time but you can always get legal advice. For instance, with writing an application regarding the return of personal belongings, or filing a complaint, in case they are missing. Filling in a form concerning a car missing, getting advice on appeal against effective decisions of the court. Victoria [name changed – KYKY.ORG] tells us:

If an individual has an effective court decision holding him administratively liable and there was no judicial appeal against it from a higher court, this individual could have still been imprisoned. This is why everyone who gets an early release, roughly speaking, can be held eligible for serving their sentence again within a year. That said, these decisions should be appealed against! “Released” doesn’t mean “proven innocent”.

That’s why we say it to everyone – file a complaint. The majority of detainees haven’t seen and haven’t read any court decisions, nothing was explained to them and the trials were conducted in a really brief manner. Many of them don’t remember anything, let alone judges’ names. Here we break down the procedure of the complaint, the terms and the institutions they should visit. Signing people up for additional legal help, if needed. Today almost every lawyer is ready to help victims for free.

We asked if people get locked up again when they come to pick up their personal belongings. She confirms such cases but says it happened when people would try to argue or fight with the police. At the moment this doesn’t take place – nobody gets detained twice.

We are approaching the doctors and meet a few guys holding signs that say “driver”. They say they are here to drive people who are to be released today, although at that point time there were none of them.

We are passing by a spot where people can charge their phones. Someone is offering  us pastries and water. Finally we are reaching the doctors. At the sight of a camera, they start to be nervous. They are asking to show our IDs, “to make sure we’re not from BelTA (state-run media agency)”. Only one person has agreed to talk to us on the condition of full anonymity.

“You can take pictures – there’s no official ban, it’s rather me asking for a favour not to. On Sunday, when reporters were here, you have no idea how loud were the groans coming from over there (pointing at the prison – KYKY). Firstly, we care about the safety of people who are still there right now. Our safety, to some extent, too. Of course, we document all cases of injuries and traumas. Hopefully, this will be of good use in future. As of now, we see that procedural actions don’t lead anywhere. However, sooner or later, the information will come out and will be exposed to greater numbers of people,” said one of the doctors. An old lady is approaching the tent, perhaps, someone’s relative. She’s asking to take her blood pressure – her nerves are on the edge.

We said goodbye to the doctors, even hugged some of them. Me and the photographer were approaching our car with silence – each in our own thoughts. And only when we were driving up to Nyamiha, Egor said: “You see, that’s how the system works. You can’t change it – just break it, or else it will break you. The punishers from Akrescina were people broken by the system at some point too – and now they’re mentally sick.” Egor is right, but I still cannot comprehend how this appeared to be possible in the middle of Europe in the XXI century.

Were people always abused here as much? Maybe, there just wasn’t such wide media coverage and public attention? 

Why wasn’t it in the highlight? What was more important? Things happening at Akrescina today – it is a system, not an effort of some particular individuals. Everything is aligned and coordinated, even the court system is involved.

There is no law in Belarus anymore. What happens now is a crime against humanity and the echoes of GULAG. On the bright side, a shared tragedy has united the people and awakened the civil society. The scale of mutual aid and solidarity is truly breathtaking. Belarusians, we are incredible: just look at what we have managed to accomplish. And the walls of Akrescina shall fall sooner or later too.