The state must pay 2 million hryvnias for the lawlessness of law enforcement agencies

In two decisions by the Kharkiv court regarding the Kharkiv Region Prosecutor's Office, it was acknowledged that a confession of murder was obtained by the investigation through the use of abuse, systematic beatings, and torture of the suspects. Now, the state must pay 1 million hryvnias in moral damages to each of the two plaintiffs. The court decisions are listed in the 'Decisions of Ukrainian Courts' section of the 'Prison Portal'.

Court decision regarding the illegal actions of the bodies of inquiry, pre-trial investigation, the Prosecutor's Office, and the court in the Kharkiv region in relation to citizen Yu. V. Vysochynenko.

The plaintiff, Yu. V. Vysochynenko, appealed to the Court with a claim against the Prosecutor's Office of the Kharkiv region for compensation for damage caused by the illegal actions of the bodies of inquiry, pre-trial investigation, the Prosecutor's Office, and the court. He was illegally detained by police officers and, as a result of abuse, systematic beatings, and torture, was forced to sign a confession and admit his guilt in the commission of a robbery and intentional homicide. During the preliminary investigation, the prosecutor's office allowed a whole series of gross violations of the law. By the court's decision of 13 June 2008, the plaintiff was awarded moral damages in the amount of 1,000,000 (one million) hryvnias. The text of the court decision is provided below

The 'Chervona Kalyna' festival was held at one of the educational colonies in the Lviv region

On the 2nd of August 2008, the XVII Festival of Amateur Artistic Creativity of Convicts, 'Chervona Kalyna', was held at the Sambir Educational Colony in the Lviv region, themed: 'The Creativity and Life of A. S. Makarenko'.

Is the Independence of the Department a Necessity or a Whim?

An analysis of the creation and activities of the criminal-executive system of Ukraine as an independent structure: history, myths, achievements, and losses. The analysis was prepared by order of the Legal Policy Research Centre (Kazakhstan).

Celebration of Independence Day at a women's colony

On the 24th of August, on Independence Day, the 'Chernihiv Women's Human Rights Centre' charitable organisation joined the administration of the Chernihiv Correctional Colony No. 44 to organise and hold a summer sports tournament for the women serving sentences there.

On changes to the Instruction on the inspection of correspondence of convicts

For two and a half years, the Department refused to acknowledge that it was violating human rights. And this is just regarding the regulation of correspondence.

Who needs a new ‘old’ Concept?

EXPERT OPINION on the project of the Concept of the Target Programme for the reform of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine for 2008–2017. The project of the Concept does not meet the requirements for such documents, was developed for the internal needs of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Sentences, does not reflect the real state of the SCES, does not contain an analysis of failures and problems, and does not define clear measures aimed at improving the situation, in view of which it cannot be submitted for approval and requires thorough revision.

Human rights activist Bukalov: I would not be surprised if a riot breaks out in one of Ukraine's colonies

In recent years, emergencies in penal colonies have begun to occur suspiciously often – incidents in the Donetsk colony, Sokal high-security colony No. 47 (Lviv region), Volnyansk colony No. 20, Dnipropetrovsk colony No. 89, Sverdlovsk colony No. 38 (Luhansk region)... Alexander Bukalov, head of the human rights organisation “Donetsk Memorial”, comments on the situation in Ukrainian penal colonies.

WE ARE ASKING FOR HELP!

An appeal to 'Donetsk Memorial': 'We believe that the detention regime in the Dnipropetrovsk Correctional Colony No. 89 in the maximum-security sector is designed to destroy the life-term prisoners held there. We are asking for your help!'

IF YOU END UP IN THE DONETSK PRE-TRIAL DETENTION CENTRE – SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR LUNGS

The list of problems related to the spread of tuberculosis in Ukraine in general and in the Donetsk Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 5 in particular is extensive. If the previous article outlined the difficulties in funding and legislative shortcomings, now it is worth naming other urgent problems.

Tuberculosis as a punishment in the Donetsk Pre-trial Detention Centre

One of the main places of the disease’s spread is the “zone” – or, in normal language – a prison, a temporary detention facility, a pre-trial detention centre, that is, all places of deprivation of liberty.

Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights

“Public monitoring of penal facilities in Ukraine remains insufficient. The Commissioner noted that public monitoring is essential for the successful reform of the system.” Excerpt from the Report by the Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Thomas Hammarberg, following his visit to Ukraine from 10 to 17 December 2006.