""I've never seen that much snow in my life," says Sudalenko. "As soon as you enter the prison, everyone including those in quarantine is ordered out to the courtyard to start shoveling. You are given an improvised shovel consisting of a piece of plywood nailed to a broomstick and told to shovel down to the blacktop. It's not about clearing sidewalks like in the outside world," he says. "No, not a single snowflake is allowed to be seen at the prison.""
""Political prisoners cannot get out of the 'snow removal crew' and the work doesn't count against other tasks. That means you have to be up at least two hours earlier than your normal 4 a.m. wake-up call to make sure all of the snow is gone. By then, you are drenched in sweat but you can't really wash because there isn't enough time, nor are there enough showers," says Sudalenko."
Prison wardens in Belarus require political prisoners to clear snow down to the asphalt during winter, often carrying sack after sack off site without opportunity to wash or warm themselves. Leanid Sudalenko, sentenced to three years, described arriving in Vitebsk in the dead of winter and being ordered, including those in quarantine, out to the courtyard with improvised shovels made from plywood nailed to broomsticks. No snowflake is allowed to be seen. Mostly political prisoners are assigned this duty, with Viasna reporting over 1,100 held. Refusal leads to solitary confinement or denial of visitors and packages; the work does not count against other tasks, forces earlier wake-ups, limits washing, and accompanies frigid roll calls three times daily.
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