8–13 August 2020
Partyzanski District Police Department, Minsk
Public Investigation Based on Documented Materials from the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus and the Human Rights Center «Viasna».
This public investigation examines the events that took place at the Partyzanski District Police Department in Minsk between 8 and 13 August 2020 — one of the episodes of mass torture and ill-treatment of civilians following the presidential election in Belarus.
The document was prepared by the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus as part of its systematic efforts to document crimes against humanity committed by representatives of the security forces. The investigation is based on 43 in-depth individual interviews collected by the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus and the Human Rights Center «Viasna» with individuals unlawfully detained and brought to the Partyzanski District Police Department in Minsk, as well as on the analysis of photographs of injuries, medical records, and information from open and partner sources.
The document reconstructs, step by step, day by day and hour by hour, the chronology of what happened to detainees — from the moment of arbitrary arrests on the streets of the city to their unlawful detention in the basement, assembly hall, and other premises of the Partyzanski District Police Department that were entirely unfit for holding people.
Victims’ testimonies depict a pattern of systematic violence: individuals were beaten and humiliated, held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, deprived of sleep, water, and basic medical assistance. They were threatened with death, subjected to psychological abuse, and subsequently issued fabricated administrative reports in order to give the torture the appearance of «lawful procedures».
These were not isolated excesses or the mistakes of individual officers — this was a well-established mechanism of intimidation and repression in which human dignity was completely disregarded. The document demonstrates how, behind the closed doors of a district police department, detainees endured what many still describe as some of the most terrifying days of their lives.
Separate sections of the investigation address:
- the physical and psychological consequences of torture and ill-treatment for detainees;
- the roles and responsibilities of specific officials and security personnel;
- the legal qualification of the actions of officers of the Partyzanski District Police Department under national and international law.
The document contains an extensive list of officers of the Partyzanski District Police Department of Minsk who were serving in August 2020 and thereafter. It includes personal and other data compiled by experts of the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus through the analysis of open sources, data obtained from the «Cyber Partisans» initiative, and documentation work conducted by the Committee.
The investigation demonstrates that the violence at the Partyzanski District Police Department was neither accidental nor spontaneous, but formed part of a coordinated practice aimed at suppressing civic protest. Despite the scale of the documented crimes, those responsible have not yet been held accountable.
The publication of this document is intended to preserve evidence, restore the truth about what occurred, and contribute to efforts to hold perpetrators accountable through international justice mechanisms.
If you have information about specific individuals who carried out torture and ill-treatment of detainees in August 2020 or at other times, we urge you to contact the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus.
Here you can download the text of the investigation in English