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"Some of them get pleasure from hitting people and, in general, from everything that happens there"

Marked with a red mark hit especially hard

Anton (name changed at the request) was detained at around 11 pm on August 11 in Pritytsky area, between Sportivnaya and Kuntsevschina metro stations. He had no protest symbols on him except for a white-red-white bracelet (the color of the old Belarusian flag that was adopted by the protesters as a symbol of resistance – August 2020) on his arm but it was hidden under a jacket sleeve. Anton did not have time to think over the escape route, and then a two-day nightmare began.

Anton,--
Age: --
City: Minsk
When: 11.08.2020

Detained by riot police on Pritytsky Avenue on the way home

Held in custody: Two days in the Okrestina detention center
Medical diagnosis: --
Aftermath: Nightmares, related to arrest

Author: Project team August2020

Illustrations: Project team August2020

- I came to our meeting a little earlier, - says Anton – I stood and waited but then I noticed a couple of policemen a few minutes later. I wondered whether it was an ordinary person who invited me for an interview in such a place. Too late to check now. OK. I considered several escape routes for a couple of seconds. I’d run away, no one would catch me. Our hero smiles while telling us how his life changed after August 2020. "But, in general, I pay almost no attention to all those police buses and officers with their special equipment in the city. And I still have nightmares with the same scenario - protests, chases, riot police, arrest. Even though I can come up with a lot of interesting things - almost full Harry Potter (novels – August 2020)!”


"Question - blow, question - blow"
 

I am often deep in my thoughts, so I did not notice OMON (riot police – August 2020) standing close nearby, too close for me to escape. They stopped all passers-by. A guy walked in front of me, at first they did not touch him, so I thought I would also slip by. However, they detained both of us and several other men, who just stopped by for fuel at the gas station.


When I came close to the policemen, I told them that I was going home - I lived nearby. They immediately began to pat me like during a search. They took my backpack, raised my sleeves, saw a bracelet and immediately put me down face on the ground. They took me to the lawn away from the road and made me lay down there. They searched the backpack, found foreign bills in a wallet. A lot of people keep them in the wallets, like souvenirs. They asked where I got the money from. They asked something else, and every question was accompanied with a blow. They tried to hit me in one place - legs above the knee, on the thigh - where the traces are not seen afterwards. I don't remember any questions. What I do remember is that there was no need to answer them - the reaction of the policemen was the same. Then they tied my hands, and a little later took me to their minivan.

Once we walked for a couple of meters they did the same thing – put me down to the ground, gave me a beating and asked the same strange questions. At the entrance to the bus, I started arguing with them because they said that I was not a patriot. Those words hurt me. I don’t know why, but at that moment I had no fear at all. Most likely because I did not know what would happen after. I got off easy, they just told me to shut up. Then they loaded me into a regular bus with curtains.

At the entrance to the bus I started arguing with them because they said that I was not a patriot. Those words hurt me

- At the entrance they asked whether we would go in an amicable way or in a bad way. Naturally, I chose an amicable way. Nobody beat us inside, there were as many people as there were seats there, a driver and a riot policeman. It was impossible to raise heads, so we rested our foreheads against the back of the front seats and could not see anything. We drove a little around the city - it is not clear where and why. They brought me to almost the same place, some 200 meters away. Then they took us out. There was a bunch of people detained sitting in a row on the sidewalk, and there were a lot of parked police buses. We were randomly shuffled, and they took me directly to Okrestina. I remember that when the bus arrived, someone looked inside and was surprised that it was not overloaded. Later I learnt what an overload meant.

“Every hour there were more and more of us”
 

As people exited the bus they were met with a corridor of riot police with truncheons. Everyone passing by was beaten on the legs. Anton ran out one of the last. A guy running in front of him was very confused and ran slowly. He got hit by every truncheon.

- I understood that since this guy was catching all the hits, so they could not hit me so I tried to run right after him. They were beating him and did not have time for another blow for me. I still got several hits, but not as many as others. We ran along this corridor to the wall around the detention center on Okrestina Street. There were a lot of people there. It immediately became clear that there were many people inside the building too. I could hear their screams. People were beaten and screamed in pain.

They were told to squat facing the wall and put our hands up on the wall. There was a pipe along the wall that you could grab onto. It would be much easier to stand that way, but they did not let us. Those who grabbed the pipe were severely beaten on the hands with a truncheon. They took off the ties after a while, but my muscles still felt numb. A drunk man standing next to me said that he just went to the store and kept on asking to be let go. At some point he fell, and the police immediately started beating him. Someone asked for the permission to kneel, and surprisingly they let us do it. This was a better posture, only my hands were numb. We rested for about forty minutes, then another guard came up and said that we were too relaxed, so we were told to squat again. One of the riot policemen shouted that he hadn’t seen his family for 2-3 days because of us and as he said this, he beat the detainees around him with a truncheon.

We rested for about forty minutes, then another guard came up and said that everyone was somehow relaxed, so we were told to squat again

- I thought of how my relatives would be looking for me because no one knew where I was. The police did not allow me to make a phone call. I was very worried about my mother. I never caused her any trouble but that day I just disappeared and did not return home. I wondered if I would survive at all and what would be inside (the prison- August 2020), considering how they treated us outside.

People entered the building in batches. And the line moved slowly. One of the guards ordered people to walk while squatting. Other riot policemen stood in the corridor and beat all those who entered with truncheons. The next group of people was allowed to enter on foot. On my way I looked around and saw a man with a bandaged head lying on the ground and covered in blood as if it was a normal thing, no one paid any attention to him. It was not clear whether he was dead or alive. Nobody helped him. Then I saw two more people om the ground. I told the OMON officer that I can walk around him. No, he said, step over the body. It was really a strange treatment of people. One of the men laying on the ground started to convulse, and it was only then that they called the doctors. The doctors wanted to take two people, but they were allowed only one - the guy with convulsions. He could not get up himself and for some reason they were not allowed to carry him either. I could only hear them telling him to get up and go.


We had to kneel again once we were inside the building, but it was tolerable. All the rest was rather quick: they took off our laces and belts, put them in separate garbage bags, and wrote our names on them. Then they were supposed to take us to the cells, but instead they led us to the outdoor exercise yard. It was about three o'clock in the morning. They yard was half full. People were standing, there was no place to sit. Every hour there were more and more detainees coming.

“I thought all night about how I would spend these 15 days”
 

Anton describes this courtyard in details. Concrete floor, four walls, no toilet, no water. It is difficult to estimate its size – it was 5x5 or 6x6 meters. The sky and the barbed wire overhead. It was very cold at night. Some detainees tried to sleep while leaning on each other. You could hear the guard walking from above and the dogs barking. The picture changed but the nightmare did not.

- I was dressed in sneakers, hoodie and pants. But other people had to stand in shorts and slippers all night. Someone's sneakers were taken away during the arrest or they were lost. I remember giving insoles of my sneakers to a barefoot guy, and he stood on them all the time. Some sat down when their legs were completely numb. You could put one sneaker underneath and sit on it. But there was no enough place for everyone to sit.


Some of the detainees were beaten very badly. Closer to morning, five of them were taken away by doctors. One, as I understand it, had a broken nose, he was dizzy, in and out of consciousness and throwing up. Another guy had broken hands. In the morning the police counted us, there were more than 150 people, almost 200, to be more precise. We talked at night, of course. And then I realized that there would be a trial, and that everyone would be given 15 days in prison. I thought all night how I would spend these 15 days, and how my relatives would find me after all. I tried to think of a way to warn them but could not find any solution.


We constantly asked for water. The police gave it to us only after 10 a.m. - two 2-liter bottles for 200 people. It was definitely not enough. I did not get any water that time, but it was ok. People who really needed it took a couple of sips. About an hour later, they took us to the toilet, in groups of 5. Detainees took these two bottles with them, got some tap water in the toilet and brought them back. I'm not sure if everyone was able to go to the toilet, but everyone got a chance to drink.
 

At about noon on August 12, a guard came and announced that they were starting to transfer us to cells. And they began to split people. Anton was taken into a cell for five people, except for there were 33 inside. One guy almost immediately lost consciousness, but he was taken out only half an hour later. Almost everyone was beaten. Some detainees’ legs were black from bruises. Some of them were imprisoned since August 9th.


- I remember one guy. He was on the way back from the movies, walking with his mother, if I remember right. He had some personal problems and had to take sedatives. When he was detained, he did not resist, he just laid down, you know, that’s the kind of state he was in. But they kept beating him. I do not remember when exactly, but a bullet grazed him, maybe during the arrest, went through his body a bit. The wound was bandaged sloppily, and an inflammation started. He asked for a doctor for a long time, but with no result. Only a day later someone came in and bandaged him properly.

There was another guy black and blue from the bruises. The riot policeman thought that the guy showed him a finger during the arrest

There was another guy black and blue from the bruises. The riot policeman thought that the guy showed him a finger during the arrest. When this guy was taken to the detention center, he was badly beaten. I don’t know how he could stand, let alone sit. But there was no place to sit in the cell anyway, 3-4 people could sit on a bed, some on the floor. Some more could squeeze on the benches near the table. Sleep was the same story, we changed places every several hours. Two people on a two-tier bed and one more under it. And that was the best and quietest place, as the light did not reach there. They gave us food during lunch time. There was not enough soup for everyone. In an hour or two they brought out the second meal, then there was enough food for everyone. I was not hungry because of the heat. I was thirsty and drank tap water.


All this time Anton did not see or sign any documents. The guards often came up and said that they would release everyone soon, but no one was actually released.
- It was very difficult to estimate exact time there, there were no clocks anywhere. You could only see that it was becoming dark outside. At night you woke up, it was dark outside, but the light was on in the cell. So you could not tell the exact time. In the afternoon, they took several people away, and then brought them back in. As it turned out later, they were taken to court. According to their stories, each court examination lasted one or two minutes, and the ruling was the same for all - 15 days of detention.

At night, they woke us up and ordered to make lists of everyone’s last names. They gave a piece of paper and a pen, but then they took it away. The police lost the documents of those who were detained on August 9th. So, 72 hours have passed since the moment of detention. According to the law they should have released us. But who cared? Their answer was the same – sit and wait! One guy in the cell asked for a lawyer, but he got the same answer.


On the afternoon of August 13, Anton was taken out of the cell, photographed, and asked where he had been detained. Then they brought him back to the cell. In the evening they took him out again, this time with several more people.


- I was hoping for a release. There was a table with police protocols for everyone. I think that they were all the same and said something far from reality, like everyone was walking down the street and shouting slogans. They let me read the protocol, and I said that I did not agree. I signed, no one threatened me. I signed that I received a copy of the protocol, but no one gave it to me. And I also signed the affidavit that I was aware of a criminal responsibility in case of another arrest.

They took everyone out into the courtyard, put us against the wall again but treated us better than before. Then I realized that they would let me go. They told me not to turn my head, but I did it, because was curious (Anton says it with a smile- August 2020). And they did nothing bad to me. One of the guards just came up and said: “Do not turn around. There is a soldier with a rifle, and you never know what is in his head”. He was not rude at all, even quite polite. He even said - guys, if your legs are numb, you can squat. We even asked him how to get to the subway. He replied that he didn’t know because he was not local.


By the way, they never returned our belongings to us, phones or keys. They told us to come and pick them up later. Some of the people were taken away in paddy wagons. I don't know why or where. I think they were just taken to the city. A small part of the people who did not fit into the paddy wagons went away on their own. I also left the detention center. I was very exhausted but could still walk. I wanted to go as far away from the place as I could. It was about 10 p.m.
 

"I was scared to go home, they could have detained me again"
 

And now the picture changes and the nightmare ends. Now Anton will tell a story of goodness, we will cry a little and smile a lot. And it will become clear that there is love, mutual assistance and hope even in the worst dream.


- I came out completely confused but also with a feeling of complete freedom. I was scared to go home; they could have detained me again. So I was thinking of a safer way to get to the metro. There were many people around me. I asked them how to get to the metro, but instead they offered me food. They gave me water and something else. I started talking to a girl who was looking for her boyfriend or husband. She was very worried. She asked me how it was inside and whether the police were beating us hard. I tried to calm her down, but started crying myself. I could feel her uncertainty and understood very well what she was feeling. But at least I knew what happened to me, and she didn't know anything at all. She knew that police were beating people there and that it was very scary.

The volunteers quickly found a car to take me home. They even offered a place nearby where I could sleep. And all of this was done by volunteers, who were not connected to the detention center in any way. They took me home. I found a phone, called everyone - mom, colleagues, and friends.

You know, I had a feeling that everyone in the cell has passed a special selection with a "+" sign, and those behind the doors had a "-"

- Here's another story. We gave our relatives’ phone number to those who we thought were going to be released, so they could call and tell where we were. We didn't have a pen there. I found something sharp and scratched the phone numbers on the back of the shoe insole and on the lining. Then they gave us a pen, so we could write numbers on toilet paper. It happened so that a guy who took out my phone number called my parents before I was released and said that I got 15 days of arrest. Mom was worried, she did not expect that things would turn this way. She didn’t really know a lot about the events, she lived outside Minsk, and there were problems with the Internet. Still, I managed to calm her down.

Earlier, I was telling you about the people outside who met us. But everyone was wonderful inside the cell too. We had no conflicts, only mutual assistance. One guy got sick. Well, not everyone knows how to provide emergency assistance, but I knew how to do it,  so I coordinated everything, gave orders, and the inmates followed them quickly. Nobody tried to hide food from others. The police gave us a loaf of bread, and we distributed it fairly. There weren't enough plates for everyone, so we tried to eat quickly and wash dishes to pass to the next. We had very good and clear organization. When an inmate got sick, we immediately provided him with a comfortable bed, gave him something to put under his head and found something to cover him with. We organized a queue, so everyone could get a chance to wash himself.

We understood that we would have to sleep on the floor, and the cell was very dirty. So, we found a spare T-shirt and washed the floor with it. We agreed where we could walk and what areas of the floor were for sleeping. We shared extra items of clothing. I gave my T-shirt to a guy so that he could put it under his head. One of the guys was detained even before the election. He was a very ideological person, and his sprit was not broken by sitting in a cell. He said that he would serve time, come out and continue to "push, push, and push." You know, I had a feeling that everyone in the cell has passed a special selection with a "+" sign, and those behind the doors had a "-".

 "I could not even imagine that such things were possible at all"

For the next few days Anton was gradually coming to his senses. Then he got a new SIM-card with his number, picked his belongings from the detention center and wrote a complaint to the Investigative Committee. He was sent to forensic experts to record his beatings. He did not get the results, they only asked for permission to film his bruises and he agreed. Later, Anton received a letter that the verification period for his claim was extended.


- I was afraid to go and pick up things in the detention center. There were stories about people who went there and did not come out. But then I found a chat of volunteers, they can be trusted (Anton laughs - August 2020), so I went there. They found his belongings pretty quickly, everything was in place, even the money. There was only memory mark, says Anton showing a crack on the screen.

Generally, I managed to overcome it all normally. Once there was anger, then a feeling of powerlessness. I could not even imagine that such things were possible at all, all these things, that happened in Okrestina. It seemed that some (guards – August 2020) enjoyed hitting people and, in general, everything that happened there. They may also have a political position that is different from mine. But if you do not agree and get his get a hit with a truncheon just for that, how does this make sense? They clearly tried to hit us harder and to carry out their orders. They did not see people in us.

I was afraid to go and pick up things in the detention center. There were stories about people who went there and did not come out

- Now, I notice many details when I read the news. Like, the musicians played Tsoi (a Soviet musician whose song “Changes” was played often during protests – August 2020) in an underground passage and were detained. And I’m thinking, there are two road policemen walking by. Can they just go their way pretending that they "did not hear anything"? If they were normal people, they would just pass and not detain someone just for a song. I just drew some conclusions for myself and changed my attitude towards our law enforcement agencies from "bad" to "even worse." But I don't know how much worse it can be. I will definitely not ask them for help ever again. I think that most of the normal people who worked there quit. A couple of my military acquaintances left the service before the elections. They left any way they could.

Anton could not get to his court session, as the summons came to a place of his official residence, not where he actually lived. He was fined and paid the full amount. Anton’s colleagues understood his situation. They supported him both morally and financially. If fact, they pooled their money to partially pay the fine although he did not ask for it. Several of his colleagues were also detained. Anton does not want to leave Belarus. He believes that as long as there is a chance to change at least something, you need to be here and do what you can – fight for the sake of good people, as there are so many of them.

- I got into it all over the summer. I used to ignore our opposition and did not see a good candidate to vote for. In the summer, I began to delve deeper into it all, found out more about the candidates and signed petitions in their support. I was deeply impressed on the day of the elections. I saw a lot of people ready to vote and many people with the opposition symbols. I remember one woman from a completely different generation, over 60, with a white ribbon on her wrist (protesters wore white wristbands to identify themselves to each other and see how many of them there were– August 2020). She saw her acquaintance, addressed him by name and asked a question: “You do not have a band, are you supporting Luka (Alexander Lukashenko)?” This was great. All those protests were beautiful. When I was detained at Okrestina, I thought that I had to leave the country. But my attitude changed dramatically when I went outside the gates and saw those People. I thank them all!
P.S. Anton filed a complaint with the Investigative Committee. The verification period has been extended. He was convicted and received a fine.

*August2020 team thanks   Human Rights Center "Viasna" for help in preparing the material.

If you have suffered during peaceful demonstrations and are ready to tell your story, write to us at avgust2020belarus@gmail.com with the note “History”. We will contact you. thanks

Anton,--
Age: --
City: Minsk
When: 11.08.2020

Detained by riot police on Pritytsky Avenue on the way home

Held in custody: Two days in the Okrestina detention center
Medical diagnosis: --
Aftermath: Nightmares, related to arrest