Irina Popova

Welcome to LTP

In 1967, during the cold war, the Soviet Union introduced the system of labour treatment profilactoria which was actively used for the forced isolation of persons suffering from alcoholism and drugs addiction.

The first Labour Treatment Profilactoria appeared in the USSR in 1967 within the territory of Kazakhstan. In the future, the system of LTP was actively used for the forced isolation of persons suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction, or those who were disturbing public order and rules “of the socialist way of life.”  Citizens were sent to LTP by order of the regional courts for a period of 6 months to 2 years. Their decision was final, with no right to appeal. Human rights activists in the Soviet Union called LTP part of the Soviet “punitive psychotherapy” system. On October 25th, 1990, the Committee of Constitutional Supervision of the USSR adopted a conclusion, according to which certain provisions of existing legislation were declared inconsistent with the Constitution of the USSR and international norms of human rights. The Constitutional Oversight Committee came to the conclusion that, under the law, obligatory treatment in LTP (i.e. restriction of freedom, which is close to a criminal sentence) had been applied to persons who have not committed any crimes. After the collapse of the USSR the LTP system was abolished in most former Soviet republics. In 1993, at the Decree of the President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, Labour Treatment Profilactoria were eliminated in Russia (with later discussions in the state duma to revive the system).

At present, LTP exist only in Belarus, Turkmenistan and the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. LTP is part of the system within the internal affairs agencies of the Republic of Belarus, established for the forced isolation, and medical and social rehabilitation of citizens through the obligation to work. It is directed towards citizens with chronic alcoholism, drug addiction and toxicomania, and those citizens obliged to reimburse the expenses paid by the state on the maintenance of children in public care, in the event of systematic violations of labor discipline by these citizens because the consumption of alcoholic beverages, drugs, psychotropic, toxic or other intoxicating substances.

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Identity cards for each inmate are kept in spectial boxes. These contain all the essential information: term served, which labour is prescribed, and where the inmate goes for his obligatory work hours. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The inmates walk in an organized group, marching in two rows towards their workplace early in the morning, after the counting and checking procedure. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

An inmate during his obligatory treatment of cooking food for cattle. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

Waiting at bus station Svetlogorsk, near the exit of LTP. This is the first place the inmates will see after their release. According to rough estimation, only 5% of former inmates stop drinking after their release. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

A line for bread during lunch. The consumption of food is strictly regulated per person. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts.

The guard of LTP at the entrance of the unit that receives new inmates. Mosaics and idealistic paintings cover the walls of the institution’s buildings. They are all made by special commission as part of a propaganda program. They are meant to help raise the spirit of the inmates, but instead create an absurdist and authoritarian environment. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts.

The inmates in their room. Most of the inmates are kept in dormitories for 16, 20 or 24 people. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are 5 LTP in Belarus, about 1600 inmates each. One LTP is for women, the other ones are only male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

Inmates eat soup in the canteen during the lunch break. The amount of food is strictly regulated, and all calories are counted. The food is very plain. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The inmates during a break from their obligatory labour treatment – removing copper wire from its protective plastic. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The door of the isolation cell (a place for severe punishment), adorned with an idealistic painting. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts.

An inmate of LTP shouts about his rights. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

An inmate stands in front of a wall, waiting for his obligatory work hours to pass, while the messages on the wall tell the exact times of allowed breaks and “Forbidden to sit on wood”. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The director of Labour Treatment Profilactorium №1 for alcohol addicted in Belarus shows the list of the inmates in his room. He preferred his face not to be shown. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The inmates during a break from their obligatory labour treatment – removing copper wire from its protective plastic. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The inmates during their obligatory labour treatment – busy removing copper wire from its protective plastic. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

Eduard Goroschenya (nickname “Bedya”) reads his old newspaper clipping, the only source of information about the outer world. Eduard was a former local mafia boss in Bobruisk and is now serving his 6th term in LTP (each of two years), getting back each time in the matter of days. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are 5 LTP in Belarus, about 1600 inmates each. One LTP is for women, the other ones are only male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

Inmates during their obligatory labour treatment – washing the walls of the factory building. Most of the inmates do unqualified labour without the possibility to study or improve their work skills. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

The isolation cell of LTP has a strict regime. Labour Treatment Profilactorium for alcohol addicted in Belarus. LTP is a part of the penal system and Belarus is the only country in the world that still practices the punishment of obligatory incarceration for addicts. There are five LTP in Belarus, each housing about 1600 inmates. One LTP is for women, the others are all male. The main treatment is labour, and camomile tea.

Bio

Born in 1986 in Tver, Russia, Irina Popova is a documentary photographer and curator. A graduate of the Tver State University School of Journalism, Popova studied photography at FotoDepartament, St. Petersburg, in 2007. In 2008-2010, she studied documentary photography and mixed media at the Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia. Popova worked as a staff writer and photographer for Ogoniok Magazine in Moscow from 2008-2009. In 2010, she moved to the Netherlands, and was artist-in-residence at the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam from 2011-2012. In 2013, Popova co-founded the Dostoevsky Photography Society collective. In 2013-2014, she curated an exhibition FFABRU/Foreign Fotographers About Russia, as part of the Open Border Festival, Amsterdam; subsequently the exhibition toured to ten Russian cities. Irina Popova has participated in numerous exhibitions and photography festivals in Russia, Ukraine, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Burma, and Lisbon, including the Photoquai Biennale, Paris and the Noorderlicht and Breda Photo international festivals in the Netherlands. Her work has been published by Lenta.ru; Afisha Mir; Russian Reporter; Ogoniok; the Guardian; Geo International; the New York Times; Gup Magazine; and Lens Culture. Popova’s work is included in the collections of the Russian State Museum; Musée du Quai Branly, Paris; and the Rijksakademie Amsterdam. In 2014, Popova published the photo books Another Family and If You Have a Secret. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including Delphic Games of Russia (2006, 2007, 2008); Young Photographers of Russia (2008 and 2010); Best Photographer of Russia (2009); the UNICEF prize honorable mention (2009); Award of Fund of Development of Photojournalism, Russia (2009); and nomination for the Marie Claire Photo Award (2012). She teaches photography in Moscow at the Rodchenko Moscow School of Photography and Multimedia.

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Irina Popova