Training assembly of the Department's special units

From 15 to 18 September, a training assembly was held for personnel of the special-purpose units based at the Dniprodzerzhynsk Vocational Training School for Personnel of the State Penal Service of Ukraine.
The assembly programme included, in particular, lectures on regulatory and legal acts in the context of human rights compliance and the prevention of torture, as well as on the procedure for conducting searches of convicts and premises. These lectures were prepared by the school's instructors. An important element of the programme was the practical training of the units' personnel. Representatives of non-governmental organisations and journalists were invited to observe these exercises. They were able to witness the actions of the special units during a special operation to suppress group disobedience and mass riots by convicts, as well as actions to neutralise criminals who had taken hostages in a penal colony. Journalists were able to photograph and film the training without hindrance.
Following this, a ‘round table’ was held, chaired by the First Deputy Head of the State Department, Major General Serhiy Mykolayovych Sydorenko. He briefly outlined the problems currently being addressed by the State Department and emphasised the need for an open dialogue with the public. The Head of the Department for Security, Oversight and Safety of the State Department, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Kyslov, spoke about the specifics of the special units' activities. Participants frankly discussed the problems of the special units' operations and the need for public oversight, and shared their views on the role and methods of the special units in the penal service. The need for the swiftest possible regulatory settlement of the principles of this structure's activities was noted. Journalists received answers to questions regarding their operations.
At the conclusion of the ‘round table’, hopes were expressed for the continuation of the dialogue between the agency's leadership and the public and journalists as the best path to understanding and ensuring human rights compliance in the activities of the system's institutions.
Oleksandr Bukalov