Kherson prisoners deported to Russian colonies and tortured – human rights defenders
‘They stripped the Ukrainians naked and forced them to sit crowded together and wait.’ Prisoners from Kherson were moved to the territory of the Russian Federation a week before the retreat, the human rights project ‘Gulagu.net’ reports.
A hospital resembling a foul-smelling coffin
Stale air, a foul stench, exposed wiring, a lack of water – people are kept in these conditions for months: with no medical care and no contact with their families, they are doomed to die slowly in this foul-smelling coffin. This concerns the multidisciplinary hospital at the State Institution ‘Dnipro Penitentiary Establishment No. 4’
A Doubtful Hope of Release
Last week, the President of Ukraine signed Bills No. 4048 and No. 4049, although human rights defenders had urged him not to. The bills, in particular, concerned the introduction of a mechanism to commute life imprisonment to imprisonment for a fixed term.
The Ombudsman must protect the rights of the arbitrarily convicted
Ukraine has declared its commitment to European values and the direction of its development. To secure membership in the EU and NATO, it is necessary to overcome enemies within the country: corruption, lawlessness, and abuses of power by officials. One of the priorities in this regard is an independent and effective judicial branch. However, without the correction of judicial errors and without the review of sentences handed down to the arbitrarily convicted who continue to serve their terms, reforming the judicial system is simply impossible.
An open letter from human rights organisations to the President of Ukraine regarding the veto of Bill No. 4049
The enacted law provides for a minimum of 30 years' imprisonment for life-sentenced prisoners, and for those who have already served 25–28 years — a minimum of 40–43 years!
Visit to the State Institution “Vinnytsia Penitentiary Institution (No. 1)”
Inadequate detention conditions for convicts and prisoners, particularly at the Vinnytsia Penitentiary Institution (No. 1), are prompting applications to the ECHR, which leads to additional state expenditure on compensation payments.
The fight for Vitaliy Matukhn's life
Vitaliy Matukhn, a life-sentenced prisoner, has been diagnosed with stage-four cancer. He has already spent a quarter of a century behind bars for a crime which, he insists, he did not commit. Will the court permit a terminally ill man to be released on health grounds? In our experience, such miracles are rare.
Report on the results of the monitoring visit to the State Institution “Sofiivska Correctional Colony (No. 45)” and the Sofiivska Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 45 of the branch of the State Institution “Health Care Center of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine” in the Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions
The administration of SCC-45 and inmates acting as administrative assistants engaged in impolite communication with the monitors, psychological pressure, threats, provocative actions, and shoving. Numerous violations of inmates’ rights were identified.Self-Representation: Parole
The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group has prepared a series of practical articles on the protection of prisoners' rights in criminal proceedings. This is the third article in the series. It is devoted to the right of a convicted person to parole, to violations of that right, and to its defence in court.Self-Representation: Extension of Detention Periods During Martial Law Under Article 615 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine
The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group has prepared a series of practical articles on the protection of prisoners' rights in criminal proceedings. They are intended for prisoners and their relatives who have no legal education but wish to defend their rights independently within the criminal process.Be Your Own Lawyer: The Basics of Drafting Applications in Criminal Proceedings
The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group has prepared a series of practical articles on protecting the rights of prisoners in criminal proceedings. They are designed for prisoners and their relatives who do not have a legal education but wish to defend their rights in criminal proceedings independently.