INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST TORTURE

Ukrainian human rights activists are aware of more

200

cases of torture and inhuman treatment of citizens by the police over the past 13 years. For many reasons, these cases rarely reach the courts, and when they do, the guilty law enforcement officers receive suspended or minor sentences. However, from the Chernihiv region alone, the European Court of Human Rights is currently considering two cases specifically

about torture.

One of the victims who has already appealed to the European Court,

Mykhailo Koval

, joined the Friday action in Chernihiv. Mr. Koval

since 2001

has been trying to get those who abused him and his son in the Chernihiv city police department punished: “

… then they beat us on the head with their fists, hit us with a service pistol and a water bottle, squeezed our eyes out with their fingers and beat our ears with the palms of both hands so that our eardrums burst.

”

The rally also mentioned the high-profile case of the murder of Pryluky businessman

Serhiy Kuntsevsky

in

2008

. Today, this is one of the few cases in all of Ukraine where those guilty of the death have been punished: two law enforcement officers were sentenced to eight years in prison each, two received four years, another one – three, and one – three and a half.

However, not all stories of torture date back to the past. Today, Chernihiv human rights activists are dealing with the case of 34-year-old

Valeriy Kysel

from

Sosnytsia

, who hanged himself after several days of “communication” with the police in early June

2010. According to witnesses and the lawyer of the deceased, who was detained on suspicion of theft, Valeriy was tortured in the Sosnytsia district police department —

a bag was put on his head and

beaten. After returning home, the man could not sleep, fearing that they would soon come back for him and kill his entire family. On the morning

of June 11

he hanged himself, leaving a note: “I did it all myself. Kiss the children.”

As stated by the executive director of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights, Viktor Tarasov, one of the organizers of the action: “With this action we want to draw public attention to the existing practice of torture and inhuman treatment in law enforcement agencies of Ukraine. Recent trends show that this problem is only getting worse. For example, confirmation of this is the recent death in the Shevchenkivskyi district police department of Kyiv of Chernihiv student Igor Indyl, which has gained wide resonance in the country. Today’s action is of an all-Ukrainian nature and is taking place in many cities of Ukraine.”

The participants of the action expressed their attitude to the fact that these events:

We demand a proper investigation of torture cases!

We demand the creation of effective mechanisms of public control over the investigation of cases of torture and inhuman treatment!

We remind the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the existence of

the Public Council for Ensuring Human Rights

, which the Minister continues to ignore, but which could nevertheless help in the fight against human rights violations in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

* * *

Freedom from torture, on a par with freedom from slavery, are two human rights that, according to

the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

, cannot be restricted under any circumstances. Ukraine

ratified this Convention in 1997. To this day, human rights activists monitor compliance with human rights and work to prevent their violations.

June 26



— UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms



was


written

in

Rome

on November 4, 1950 and

entered

into force
in 1953

.

Ukraine ratified the Convention on July 17, 1997.

Article 3 of the Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms:



No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

* * *