Violence, abuse and mistreatment. Several Belarusian protesters testify that police used violence to stop the widespread protests.
Amnesty International has collected several testimonies, including from the protester Katsyaryna Novikava. She tells the human rights organization that she and 20 other women were forced into a cell made for four people, and that they were forced to sleep on the floor. They received neither food nor water during the 34 hours they spent in the cell. Several women told Katsyaryna that they were threatened with being raped by the police.
"Those previously detained say that the detainees have become torture chambers where protesters are forced to lie in the dirt while the police kick and hit them with batons," Marie Struthers, head of Amnesty in Eastern Europe, told the BBC.
Violence inside police carsThere are also testimonies of violence inside police cars. Protester Lina told Reuters she was pushed into a picket and beaten:
- They said "either you follow us for 15 days, or get beaten and released". And I'm standing here, so you understand what I chose, she says.
Rejects accusationsThe country's Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Barsukov says no prisoners have been subjected to violence. At the same time, Interior Minister Yuriy Karaev has partially apologized for the violence during the protests.
- I take responsibility and apologize to those who were accidentally injured, he says on state television.
This afternoon, EU member states will discuss the situation in Belarus, as well as consider possible sanctions against the country. Several countries have already sharply criticized Lukashenko, including Poland and Austria. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has also demanded that last week's controversial elections be redone and monitored.