Ukrainian Prisoners Tortured and Beaten - 10 October, 2002

The Council of Europe distributed three reports in Strasbourg concerning the Ukrainian prison system. According to those reports Ukrainian prisons are overcrowded, poorly maintained, and there is a  lack of equipment and procedures to fight TB.

The reports from the European Committee for Prevention of Torture  are based on the results of  European delegations’ three visits to the Ukraine between 1998 and 2000.

The  delegates visited  Ukrainian detention centers, prisons, mental hospitals. The European experts collected a lot of evidence to prove the fact that prisoners were getting very bad treatment. They presented evidence of abuse, including prisoners or suspects being brutally beaten by the Ukrainian police.

The reports also stated that police officers often beat the detainees with their batons and feet. At times, they even make prisoners wear gas masks to prevent their normal breathing. This might cause irreversible damage to human health.

The reports also mentioned  that the Ukrainian government took certain measures to improve the prison situation in 2001. Experts did notice some improvements in prison cells. The Ukrainian government has already responded to the reports, and agreed to stop such brutal practices in its prisons. The government has promised to change the  hiring procedures for police officers and imporove their professional skills.

The experts of the Council of Europe are to continue their mission at the end of the current year.

Andrey Lubensky
PRAVDA.Ru