The report from the 17 independent experts, who were mandated by the UN Council to examine the conditions in Belarus' prisons, states that there are "deeply alarming conditions that may amount to serious violations of international law."
The group has primarily examined the situation in the Novopolotsk penal colony, where many prisoners are kept in isolation for long periods of time and disciplinary punishments are used. Any suicide attempts are met with corporal punishment, the rapporteurs note, writing that this may therefore constitute torture.
The statements are not equivalent to an official UN report.
