Immediately after Polish forces occupied Minsk in August 1919, a Polish–American commission was set up to investigate the crimes of the Soviet "Cheka".
The Vilnius newspaper "Belarusian Life" reported that during exhumations around Minsk, 60 graves were opened, each containing 5–6 bodies, and in some cases up to 30. The investigation found that seven of the unfortunates had been buried alive, and most had their hands bound with wire. Almost all the victims, except three, were civilians. The paper noted that victims of Bolshevik terror had been buried only shallowly, so many bodies were dug up and partly eaten by dogs.
On the Koydanau Tract the commission found 26 bodies with broken arms and legs. It appears the Bolsheviks severely tortured them before killing them.