Three detainees mutilated themselves in Chernihiv SIZO

In the Chernihiv SIZO (pre-trial detention centre) No. 31, on the night of 14 April, three detainees inflicted cuts on their bodies.
As reported by an UNIAN correspondent, this was stated by the head of the Chernihiv Human Rights Centre, Oleksandr Pidhornyi.
According to his information, the men sought to draw attention to complaints ignored by the pre-trial detention centre's management regarding the violation of the rights of persons held in custody by the staff.
As O. Pidhornyi said, the seriousness of the detainees’ injuries is evidenced by the fact that it was not possible to simply apply bandages in the institution's medical unit. Medical assistance was provided to the aforementioned individuals at 5:00 a.m. on 14 April, not in the pre-trial detention centre, but in the trauma unit of City Hospital No. 2. The detainees were delivered to the hospital by “ambulance” accompanied by law enforcement officers. One of the victims received stitches on his left forearm.
According to O. Pidhornyi, the management of SIZO No. 31 is trying to conceal this incident. Human rights defenders believe that the work of a special commission is needed to objectively assess the situation.
“We demand the immediate creation of an independent commission with the participation of representatives of human rights organisations and the media to investigate the real situation in Chernihiv SIZO No. 31 and meet with the persons who filed complaints and were subjected to torture,” emphasised O. Pidhornyi.
In the event that the information about the violations is confirmed, human rights defenders will demand the dismissal of the management of the said detention centre.
As reported earlier, the Chernihiv Human Rights Centre received over 20 complaints about rights violations from detainees held in SIZO No. 31. In them, they complain about unlawful actions by staff and horrific detention conditions. In particular, people suffering from tuberculosis, AIDS, and other diseases are held in cells together with others, and there is no duty doctor in the detention centre at night.
The public organisation was not permitted to visit the detainees who wrote the complaints. The letter with the complaints was handed over to the regional prosecutor's office.
At the same time, the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office refuted the information from the Chernihiv Human Rights Centre regarding the beating of three juvenile detainees in SIZO No. 31, specifically on 29 March.
According to the press service, a check of this information was carried out by the structural unit for supervision of compliance with laws during the execution of court decisions of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office. All three juveniles named in the appeal were interviewed on this matter by the prosecutor. At the request of the interviewees, each of them spoke with the prosecutor one-on-one. The testimony of the detainees was written down and signed by each of them.
None of the allegedly beaten juveniles confirmed the fact of a beating, either regarding themselves or their cellmates.
The investigation of the part of the public organisation “Chernihiv Human Rights Centre's” appeal concerning the administration of the SIZO's handling of complaints from other detainees is not yet fully complete. Therefore, information about its results will be released later.