A panel of United Nations human rights experts has delivered a damning assessment of Belarus's prison system, warning that documented practices of prolonged isolation, physical punishment, and denial of medical care may constitute torture and enforced disappearance under international law.
The group of 17 independent experts, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, stated they had received credible information pointing to "deeply alarming detention practices that may amount to grave violations of international law." Their focus was the Novopolotsk correctional colony in northern Belarus, a facility that has become emblematic of the state's repressive apparatus.
Systematic Abuse and Punitive Isolation
In their statement, the experts expressed grave concern that detainees at Novopolotsk are subjected to prolonged solitary confinement and disciplinary sanctions following suicide attempts, rather than receiving urgent psychological care. "Punishing detainees for suicide attempts rather than ensuring urgent psychological and medical care is profoundly disturbing and incompatible with basic human rights standards," they stated.
The experts also highlighted the systematic "denial of essential medical care and reprisals for attempting to raise complaints," particularly after confidential meetings with the colony's psychologist. They warned that such practices, if confirmed, "may amount to torture and ill-treatment, and, under certain circumstances, may entail the commission of enforced disappearance."
The report cites the case of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Ihar Losik as a prime example. Arbitrarily detained on politically motivated charges in 2020, Losik was held at several facilities including Novopolotsk. His prison sentence began in June 2022, and he was among 52 political prisoners released and expelled from the country in September 2025.
While in custody, Losik reportedly endured prolonged isolation in harsh conditions and attempted suicide twice. After one attempt where he seriously injured himself, he was allegedly denied hospitalisation and placed in "disciplinary isolation."
Deaths in Custody and Post-Release Persecution
The experts raised further alarm over the reported 2023 death in custody of an older detainee with pre-existing health conditions, who was said to have been held in isolation without adequate care. "Deaths in custody amid allegations of isolation, denial of care and concealment of information from families, raise the most serious concerns under international law," they concluded.
In a related development, a separate team of UN investigators condemned the Belarusian government's policy of invalidating the passports of political prisoners who were forcibly expelled following their release. The UN Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus said this measure, affecting a large number of former detainees interviewed by the group, was "contrary to international law and without legal ground or justification."
The crackdown traces back to the disputed 2020 presidential election, which triggered mass protests across Belarus and a severe government response. According to the Viasna human rights centre, there are now more than 1,100 political prisoners in Belarusian jails, many arrested in the wake of those demonstrations. The regime of President Alexander Lukashenko has consistently denied allegations of systematic abuse, dismissing international criticism as foreign interference.
The UN experts' findings add to a growing dossier of evidence against Minsk, placing its human rights record alongside other global crises condemned by international bodies. As the UN Rights Chief Condemns Singapore's Execution of Drug Offenders, the situation in Belarus represents a severe and ongoing crisis on the European continent. The experts have called on Belarusian authorities to immediately cease these practices and remedy the situation for those stripped of their travel documents.
For the European Union, which has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Lukashenko's regime, the report underscores the persistent challenge posed by a neighbouring state that flouts fundamental rights. The abuse documented also has implications for regional stability, as the tactics described mirror concerns raised about repression elsewhere, including in the context of the Syrian President's Gulf Tour Advances Economic Ties and Regional Reintegration.
