Political prisoner Mikola Dziadok reveals details of threats and torture

During the second court session, blogger and anarchist movement activist Mikola Dziadok testified about his arrest: on 11 November 2020, seven officers of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption broke into his apartment through the doors and window. They immediately began beating Mikola, handcuffed him, and smothered him with a pillow demanding passwords to his laptop and other devices. They threatened to take him to a forest and take his clothes off. One of the security officials said: “Do you understand that you would not leave the pre-trial detention center?” Mikola was taken into a pantry and sprayed with tear gas to make him record a “confession” video.

According to Dziadok’s lawyer, officers of the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption stuffed bottles with flammable substances into his client’s mouth, claiming to have found them at his place, and forced him to touch the bottles. Dziadok was also forced to sign documents, the contents of which he did not see.