The new report by the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus is based on extensive evidence of mass human rights violations and crimes committed by the law enforcement unit GUBOPiK between 2020 and 2022. Experts analyzed 33 interviews conducted with individuals at different times (from August 2020 to September 2022) by the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus. These individuals were either detained by GUBOPiK officers, subjected to torture within the premises of this unit, or subjected to degrading search procedures, coercion into providing testimony, and forced to record "confession" videos admitting to actions that cannot be considered crimes. For many years, GUBOPiK has been systematically used to suppress dissent in the Republic of Belarus.
During the 2020 protests, GUBOPiK officers were actively involved in violently suppressing street demonstrations and detaining participants. To carry out these operations, the agency formed four "Attack" groups, which included military personnel from the Special Operations Forces of the Belarusian Armed Forces. However, GUBOPiK’s role goes beyond detaining protesters. Its officers also interrogate detainees, check their subscriptions to Telegram channels banned in Belarus, and investigate their alleged involvement in so-called "extremist" groups or activities. Since September 2022, the agency has been headed by Andrei Valeryevich Ananenko, Chief of the Main Directorate.
GUBOPiK officers are difficult to identify during mass arrests at protests, as they do not wear uniforms or carry identifying marks. Typically, they dress in civilian clothing, often in sportswear—"the storefront was smashed by people in civilian clothes wearing hoods, masks, and carrying batons." Over time, they have been recognized through indirect identifiers such as bulletproof vests, helmets, balaclavas, and/or the presence of special equipment such as rubber batons and firearms.
Out of the 33 interviewees, three were abducted by GUBOPiK officers. These victims were held in severe psychological distress for several hours to several days. They endured beatings, humiliations, and threats of physical violence. A common factor among them is that they were all detained by officers from the third division of GUBOPiK. These arrests took place in people’s homes, at protests, on the streets, at public transport stops, and in other public spaces. The officers acted with extreme brutality, and every action was accompanied by beatings and insults. During transport to police departments or GUBOPiK facilities within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, detainees were beaten and threatened with physical and sexual violence using batons. Women and young girls reported being subjected to constant verbal abuse, profanity, and threats of sexual violence during transport. The overwhelming majority of victims feared for their health and lives in those moments.
During home searches, GUBOPiK officers failed to identify themselves, did not present their official credentials, and often did not provide legal documentation for procedural actions. These searches were conducted in an atmosphere of violence, fear, and intimidation. In most cases, searches turned into outright vandalism and ransacking of homes.
In 2020, GUBOPiK—the regime’s primary repressive force—was granted absolute impunity. They openly flaunt their brutality by publishing reports of their persecution of citizens on their Telegram channels and through state media, using these public displays as a method of intimidation against the opposition-minded population of Belarus. The grotesque cruelty during arrests, searches, and interrogations is carried out with the full approval of the leadership, namely the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the direction of Ivan Kubrakov and personally by Lukashenko.
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