The International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus has published a new report dedicated to Penal Colony No. 3 “Vitsba”.
The report details systemic human rights violations, torture and the use of forced labour in the correctional facility.
“This specialized institution is unique in that it holds convicted employees of law enforcement agencies, courts and other security bodies. The investigation is based on detailed testimony from former inmates, which made it possible to look behind the closed doors of this specific colony”, the committee said.
The committee said it hoped the findings would broaden understanding of the real situation inside the country’s closed institutions and serve as a reliable foundation for future human rights work.
The published document examines the entire path of an inmate, beginning with transportation to the colony and the quarantine period. Sections of the report are devoted to living conditions, food, prisoner labour, the informal prison hierarchy, physical and psychological violence, medical care and colony staff. The situation of political prisoners is examined separately.
