European Committee for the Prevention of Torture visits Ukraine

Strasbourg, 23.09.2009 – A delegation from the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has recently completed a two-week visit to Ukraine. The visit, which began on 9 September 2009, was the CPT's fifth periodic visit to the country.

The CPT delegation assessed the progress made since the last periodic visit in 2005, as well as the extent to which the Committee's recommendations had been implemented, particularly in the areas of pre-trial detention by law enforcement agencies, imprisonment, the detention of foreign nationals under foreign legislation, and in the field of psychiatry.

During the visit, the delegation met with Oleksandr Galinsky, Head of the State Department for the Execution of Sentences, and held consultations with the leadership of this department, as well as with the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, the State Border Guard Service, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Secretariat of the Ombudsman for Human Rights. Meetings were held with representatives of the Kyiv regional representation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine, the Secretariat of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, the Mission of the International Organization for Migration, and members of numerous non-governmental organisations.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary comments to the Ukrainian authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Wolfgang Heinz (from Germany), Head of Delegation;
- Tim Dalton (from Ireland);
- Latif Huseynov (from Azerbaijan);
- Marzena Ksel (from Poland);
- Elena Sereda (from Russia);
- Giorgi Tugushi (from Georgia).
The delegates were supported by Petya Nestorova (Head of Division), Jochen Friedstedt, and Victor Munteanu from the CPT Secretariat, assisted by Clive Meux, Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Oxford (United Kingdom).
The delegation visited the following places:
Institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs:
The delegation visited the following places:
- Darnytskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kyiv;
- Shevchenkivskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kyiv;
- Territorial Police Unit No. 1 of the Obolonskyi District Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kyiv;
- City Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Boryspil;
- City Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chernihiv;
- Desnianskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chernihiv;
- Novozavodskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Chernihiv;
- Dniprovskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dnipropetrovsk;
- Amur-Nyzhniodniprovskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dnipropetrovsk;
- Industrialnyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dnipropetrovsk;
- Zhovtnevyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dnipropetrovsk;
- Leninskyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Luhansk;
- Zhovtnevyi District Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Municipal Police, Unit No. 1, Luhansk;
- City Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Slavutych;
- Temporary Detention Facilities (IVS) in:
Chernihiv;
Dniprodzerzhynsk;
Dnipropetrovsk;
Luhansk;
Slavutych;
Stakhanov;
- Reception centre for vagrants, Luhansk;
- Rozsudiv temporary detention centre for illegal immigrants.

Institutions subordinated to the State Department for the Execution of Sentences:
- Dnipropetrovsk SIZO (focusing on new arrivals and prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment);
- Kyiv SIZO;
- Bucha Colony No. 85, Hostomel;
- Dnipropetrovsk Colony No. 89;
- Slovianoserbsk Colony No. 60, Lozovske village.
The delegation also spoke with prisoners of the Luhansk SIZO who had recently been transferred from Ministry of Internal Affairs institutions.
Institutions subordinated to the State Border Guard Service:
- Special premises of Kyiv International Airport, Boryspil;
- Temporary detention premises at the Chernihiv Border Guard Service department.
Institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Health:
- National Psychiatric Hospital with high-security supervision, Dnipropetrovsk.
Institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy:
- Sviatoshyn Psychoneurological Boarding School for women, Kyiv.
Other institutions:
- Prison ward at the Kyiv Municipal Clinical Emergency Hospital.