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CASE #8
Date
09 / 08 / 2020
City
Minsk
Perpetrators
  • Undefined
Type of violation
  • Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
  • Use of excessive force
  • Use of stun grenades (close proximity)
International classification of violations
  • Prohibition of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
  • Right to freedom of peaceful assembly
  • Right to Life
Description

Time: late evening.

Place/Location: near prospekt Masherova, 76A (near supermarket Bigz 24/7).

Identity of the victim(s): multiple persons.

Identity of the perpetrator(s): The driver of the vehicle is unknown; no number plate was on the van.

A prison van ("avtozak") was driven towards Pobediteley Ave through a crowd of people despite their attempts to stop it, endangering the lives of these individuals. On its approach to a dense line of protesters, the van was surrounded by the crowd and stopped. One person threw a bottle at the van which moved again, leaving the crowd with one person hanging onto the cab.

The van went right and left (trying to shake the person off?), the person fell to the ground. The van subsequently slowed down, and stun grenades started exploding, supposedly being thrown from the van.
A man, who was holding onto the footboard of a moving prison van and grabbed hold of the cabin from outside but was unable to hold on and fell down. The protester remained to lie on the ground, protesters ran to him but were thrown by stun grenades. Two men lifted up the victim and took him away from the firing zone. Then the ambulance came and took him to the hospital.


Another man was attended by medics from an ambulance; he had heavy bleeding (tourniquets were used) and damage to his feet, possibly caused by a grenade explosion in close proximity or as a result of being hit by the van. It appeared that there was no room inside the ambulance so he was carried away from the road to the side (for treatment?).

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