What's New ?  |  About the CPT  |  Members  |  States  |  Visits  |  Documents  |  Database

Press Release

Visit to Ukraine by the European Committee for the prevention of torture

STRASBOURG, 28.09.2000 - A delegation of the COUNCIL OF EUROPE Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has recently carried out a 16-day visit to Ukraine. The visit began in Kyiv on 10 September 2000. It was the Committee's third visit to Ukraine, the previous visits having taken place in 1998 and in 1999.

The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT :

• Silvia CASALE President of the CPT and Head of the delegation (British)
• Adam LAPTAS (Polish)
• John OLDEN (Irish)
• Veronica PIMENOFF (Finnish)
• Ole Vedel RASMUSSEN (Danish)
• Pierre SCHMIT (Luxemburger)
• Davor STRINOVIC (Croatian)

They were assisted by Clive MEUX (Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist, Oxford, United Kingdom), as well as by two members of the CPT's Secretariat, Geneviève MAYER (Deputy Executive Secretary) and Hugh CHETWYND.

In the course of this third visit, the CPT’s delegation met Mr Petro COLIADA, Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr Anatoly P. KARTYSH, Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Olexandre CHAZYI, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, and General Usman UZAROV, Head of the Department for Military Service of the Armies and of the General Staff Regime, as well as other senior officials from these different ministries. The delegation also held discussions with Messrs Ivan SHTANKO and Olexandre PTASHYNSKYI, respectively Director and First Deputy Director of the Department of the Execution of Punishment, General Volodymyr PRISTAIKO, Deputy Director of the State Security Service, and Major-General Vladimir Petrovich DORDIUK, Deputy to the President of the Committee for the Protection of National Borders of Ukraine. In addition, meetings were held with Mrs Nina KARPOCHOVA, National Ombudsman of Ukraine, and Mr Valeriy RADZIOKHA, Substitute of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

In the framework of the visit, the CPT’s delegation followed up a number of issues examined during the previous two visits concerning, in particular, the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by the law enforcement agencies and of persons held in prison establishments. Issues tackled for the first time in Ukraine included deprivation of liberty in establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Defence.

The delegation visited the following places:

Police establishments

Donetsk

• Militia Central Holding Facility (ITT)
• Kvibyshskyi and Leninskyi District Police Stations

Kyiv

• Militia Central Holding Facility (ITT) ⁽¹⁾
• Zaliznichnyi District Police Station⁽¹⁾

Vinnytsia

• Militia Central Holding Facility (ITT) in Lytne
• Starimskyi District Police Station, Vinnytsia
• Reception and distribution centre for minors, Vinnytsia

• Bakchisaray
  • Militia Central Holding Facility (ITT)
• Inkermann
  • Municipal Police Station
• Sebastopol
  • Militia Central Holding Facility (ITT)
  • Gagarinskyi and Leninskyi District Police Stations
• Simferopol
  • Militia Central Holding Facility (ITT)
  • Kyivskyi District Police Station

Prisons

• Colony No. 85, Boutcha⁽¹⁾
• Pre-trial prison (SIZO No. 5) (units for prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment), Donetsk
• Colony No. 52, Yenakiyevai, Donetsk region
• Pre-trial prison (SIZO No. 15), Simferopol
• Prison No. 176, Vinnytsia

Psychiatric establishments

• Vinnytsia Psychiatric Hospital No. 2

• Autonomous Republic of Crimea Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 (Wards 6 and 16), Simferopol

Military detention facilities

• Military Command of the Sebastopol garrison

• Garrison and guard house of Simferopol

⁽¹⁾ Follow-up visit.

In accordance with Article 11 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the information gathered by the CPT during its visit to Ukraine and its consultations with the Ukrainian authorities are confidential.

The CPT was set up under the 1987 European Convention for the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. All the 41 member States of the Council of Europe are bound by the Convention: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The CPT is composed of persons from a variety of backgrounds: lawyers, medical doctors, prison experts, persons with parliamentary experience, etc. The Committee's task is to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. For this purpose, it is entitled to visit any place where such persons are held by a public authority. The Committee may formulate recommendations to strengthen, if necessary, their protection against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The CPT organises periodic visits as well as any other visits which appear to it to be required in the circumstances.

Further information may be obtained from:

• the CPT's Internet Site: www.cpt.coe.int
• the Council of Europe Press Department:
  Sabine ZIMMER, tel. +33/(0)3 88 41 25 97; fax +33/(0)3 88 41 27 90; e-mail pressunit@coe.int
  Cathie BURTON, tel. +33/(0)3 88 41 28 93; fax +33/(0)3 88 41 27 90; e-mail pressunit@coe.int
• the CPT’s Secretariat:
  tel. +33/(0)3 88 41 23 88; fax +33/(0)3 88 41 27 72; e-mail cptdoc@coe.int