26.06.2008

Against torture

26 June 2006 is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and events are taking place throughout the day in Ukraine to highlight the problem of torture by law enforcement officers and in penal institutions. Press conferences will be held by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union in Kyiv and by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group in Kharkiv

20.06.2008

Real measures not imitation needed

Open Appeal over numerous human rights infringements in the work of the State Department for the Execution of Sentences. The appeal is addressed to the President, Prime Minister and Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada.

26.05.2008

Brief report on the work of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Public Council for the Observance of Human Rights

The following outlines only the key points of the new report. This Public Council for the Observance of Human Rights was created at the end of December 2005 and is proving a valuable means of ensuring public participation and control over the work of the law enforcement agencies. The Public Council is a consultative and advisory body aimed at promoting human rights observance in the work of the MIA.

23.04.2008

Conflicting interests

When the Minister of Internal Affairs first expressed his support a few days ago for the reinstatement of the death penalty, I was extremely disappointed, but no more. He had not muddled his pronouns, after all, was speaking only for himself, not for his party. He suggested no specific measures, nor plans to overthrow the Constitutional Court, which has declared the death penalty to be against the Constitution.

19.04.2008

UHHRU Open Letter: On proposals to reinstate the death penalty in Ukraine

On the recent response by Minister of Internal Affairs Yury Lutsenko expressing support for reinstatement of the death penalty for particularly grave crimes against a person, on the Constitutional Court’s conclusion that the death penalty contravenes the Constitution, and on Ukraine’s European choice

22.03.2008

Next stop Strasbourg

Torture in Ukraine can be considered a legitimate means of gaining a confession if one considers the judgment handed down on this week by the Supreme Court in the case of Motsny and Nechyporuk. The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union called on people to follow this disturbing and unprecedented case.

14.02.2008

Open letter, copied everywhere, so here’s hoping

The Department for the Execution of Sentences remains resourceful, if unconvincing, in their efforts to avoid providing information, in this case, concerning the deployment of a special anti-terrorist unit against prisoners at the Izyaslav Penal Colony in January 2007

01.02.2008

Observation of Kharkiv Human Rights Group Ukraine as to the situation with prevention against torture and right to liberty in Ukraine

Kharkiv Human Rights Group would like to present to Human Rights Council its observation on the subjects of concern in the field of prevention against torture and right to liberty.

09.11.2007

Open letter from the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group to Vasyl Koshchynets, Head of the State Department for the Execution of Sentences

To avoid any suggestion here or in Strasbourg that witnesses of the violent events at the Izyaslav Penal Colony in January could be subjected to unreasonable disciplinary measures, KHPG will be providing all those involved with free legal aid

14.08.2007

Public access to penal institutions constantly under attack

Recently imposed restrictions allowing access to penal institutions only at weekends demonstrate the unwillingness of the Department to cooperate with the public and foster a lack of openness which can foster abuse of prisoners’ rights

31.07.2007

Brutal beating of prisoners in the Izyaslav Penal Colony №31 (Preliminary analysis)

An attempt to establish what did actually happen in the Izyaslav Penal Colony and a reminder to the State Department for the Execution of Sentences that the days when they could conceal such outrages have passed

12.07.2007

Prosecutor General again looks the wrong way over the likely beating of prisoners

As reported here, following reports that prisoners at Buchansk Penal Colony No. 85 (Kyiv region) had been beaten, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union called upon the Prosecutor General to investigate.

21.06.2007

Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee publishes report on Ukraine

The Council of Europe's Committee for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its visit to Ukraine in 2005, together with the response of the Ukrainian Government. These documents have been made public at the request of the Ukrainian authorities.

19.06.2007

Torture and Police Violence in Ukraine Must End

On the occasion of the meeting in Kyiv of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights’ (IHF) Executive Committee, the IHF and the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU) drew attention to the long-standing human rights problems of torture, ill-treatment, and police violence in Ukraine.

12.06.2007

Anti-terrorist units again beating prisoners

The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union has demanded that the Prosecutor General investigate the incident at the Buchansk Penal Colony on 7 June where it is alleged prisoners were beaten by members of an “anti-terrorist” unit in masks

C��������� �������