GENEVA - UN experts* today expressed grave concern over allegations of prolonged incommunicado detention and detention conditions at a Navapolatsk Correctional Colony in Belarus.
"Information we have received indicates deeply alarming detention practices that may amount to grave violations of international law," the experts said.
"We are gravely concerned that detainees in Navapolatsk Colony may be subjected to prolonged solitary confinement, disciplinary sanctions and physical punishments after suicide attempts, denial of essential medical care and reprisals for attempting to raise complaints, especially after confidential meetings with the Colony's psychologist," they said.
"If confirmed, such practices may amount to torture and ill-treatment, and, under certain circumstances, may entail the commission of enforced disappearance," the experts warned. "Both torture and enforced disappearance are prohibited under international law, including customary international law."
Journalist and blogger Ihar Losik was arbitrarily detained from June 2022 to September 2025 on politically motivated charges and held in facilities in Belarus, including a KGB detention centre in Minsk and Correctional Colony No. 1 in Navapolatsk. In September 2023, Losik was the subject of the Working Group's on Arbitrary Detention Opinion N° 45/2023.
He reportedly endured prolonged isolation in harsh conditions and was denied family contact, correspondence and effective legal counsel. Letters to international human rights bodies were allegedly withheld, and his lawyers faced disbarment or detention.
Losik reportedly attempted suicide twice in custody. In March 2023, after being told he would again be placed in isolation, he seriously injured himself but was denied hospitalisation and placed in disciplinary isolation.
"Punishing detainees for suicide attempts rather than ensuring urgent psychological and medical care is profoundly disturbing and incompatible with basic human rights standards, including the rights to life, health and freedom from torture and ill-treatment," the experts said.
They were alarmed that Ihar Losik was designated as involved in terrorism and extremism despite no related conviction, citing the lack of transparency and legal remedies.
"Such listings appear to result in discriminatory treatment and denial of basic rights," they said, urging Belarus to cease abusive terror listings in line with international law.
They also raised concern over the reported 2023 death in custody of an older detainee with health conditions, who was held in punitive isolation without adequate care. It remains unclear whether his death was investigated.
"Deaths in custody amid allegations of isolation, denial of care and concealment of information from families, raise the most serious concerns under international law, including the rights to life, liberty and security, and health, as well as the prohibition of torture and enforced disappearance," the experts said.
"We urge Belarusian authorities to ensure humane detention conditions, guarantee access to independent medical and psychological care and conduct credible investigations into all reported deaths and serious injuries in custody," they said.
"Measures must also be taken to prevent similar violations from occurring in Belarusian penitentiary facilities and protect inmates against reprisals for their complaints."
The experts have contacted the Government of Belarus on 16 March 2026 about these cases.
