Life Imprisonment: European Standards and Ukrainian Practice
Life Imprisonment: European Standards and Ukrainian Practice / compiled by Ye. Yu. Zakharov; NGO ‘Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group’. — Kharkiv: LLC ‘Prava Ludyny Publishing House’, 2021. — 232 pp. ISBN 978-617-7391-96-7. We present a book that highlights various aspects of life imprisonment in Ukraine: conditions of detention; the lack of legal opportunities for case review, even when the evidence of guilt is highly questionable — several such examples are provided in the book; the possibility of parole and pardon; and the commutation of life imprisonment to a lighter sentence. Excerpts from interviews with life-sentenced prisoners are included. The book contains a translation of the pilot judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Petukhov v. Ukraine (No. 2), which found that the lack of a realistic prospect of release for life prisoners constitutes a violation of Article 3 of the Convention and is a systemic problem in Ukraine, and analyses the progress in resolving this systemic issue. It also includes decisions of the highest national courts regarding the possibility of parole for life prisoners.