A wave of violence is spreading in correctional colonies

STATEMENT
of the human rights organisation “Donetsk Memorial” regarding unjustified violence against convicts in penal institutions

24 June 2009

Recently, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of reports received by our organisation regarding emergency events in institutions of the penal service. Especially numerous reports concern the conduct of so-called searches. These searches are carried out by fighters in masks, who often behave brutally and use force without motivation. In contrast, it is almost impossible to prove that the use of force was unprovoked or excessive.
Many reports are received about cases of intimidation of individual convicts, and threats to them and their relatives. Reports of suicides have become more frequent, regarding which there are very serious doubts as to whether the convict actually took their own life voluntarily.
In all cases of emergency events, the Department for the Execution of Sentences claims that the actions of the agency’s employees were justified and within the law. At the same time, representatives of the public, especially human rights organisations, are almost never involved in checking cases of violence against prisoners.
The significant rise in the country in the use of violence and threats against convicts by the administration of penal institutions reflects a general trend towards physical and psychological pressure on convicts.
In our opinion, the surge in violence against convicts is linked to the expected visit to Ukraine of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. The leadership of the Department for the Execution of Sentences is trying, through threats and the demonstration of arbitrary violence, to intimidate convicts so that they do not complain and do not even have the thought of complaining.
We hope that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture will take into account the warnings expressed in this Statement and the information about the numerous reports of intimidation of prisoners in the context of the Committee’s expected visit to Ukraine, as well as the presence or absence of any reaction from state structures, primarily the Department for the Execution of Sentences, to this Statement.
We draw the attention of the President of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, People’s Deputies, the Ministry of Justice, and the Human Rights Commissioner to the strengthening of the dangerous and, from the point of view of international standards for the treatment of prisoners, unacceptable practice of using violence in penal institutions.
We consider the need to create an independent inspection body in Ukraine, authorised to monitor the observance of the rights of convicts in penal institutions, to be extremely urgent. We consider the indifference of the Department for the Execution of Sentences and other state structures to the creation of such an inspection body to be unacceptable.
We call on the leadership of the Department for the Execution of Sentences to immediately stop the practice of using unjustified and unmotivated violence against convicts, to bring to justice those who use such a practice, and to take an objective approach to investigating reports of cases of violence against convicts.

“Donetsk Memorial”