Lubinec reported that there were hundreds of hostages at the Berehove Transit Center
The Berehove District Military Registration and Enlistment Office and the Joint Staff in Transcarpathia may have illegally detained conscripts who had valid deferments from mobilization. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported hundreds of such cases, the revocation of deferrals without proper grounds, and the entry of false data into the state system.
The Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights made this announcement following a monitoring visit to the Berehove District Military Registration and Enlistment Office and the Special Forces unit.
According to Lubinets, his representative in Zakarpattia Oblast, Andriy Kryuchkov, documented widespread violations of the rights of conscripts there.
“Hundreds of conscripts from all over Ukraine have effectively been held hostage, as they were illegally detained despite having valid deferments and were not allowed to leave the territory of the Regional Military Registration and Enlistment Office and the Special Forces, while their legal guarantees were simply revoked without any grounds,” the ombudsman stated.
Deferrals were revoked without hearings
Lubinec claims that people with valid documents were prevented from leaving the TCC premises. At the same time, their deferrals from mobilization could be revoked without following the established procedure. According to the ombudsman, in some cases, the relevant commissions did not hold hearings at all and did not draw up minutes. Despite this, information about the revocation of deferrals was entered into the state information system.
Lubinec also raised the possibility of document forgery. He stated that officials drafted false reports, which were then used as grounds for depriving people of their rights. ““Officials churned out fake reports, which became the ‘basis’ for depriving citizens of their rights,” said the ombudsman.
People lacked even water and hygiene supplies
During the inspection, a representative of the ombudsman also drew attention to the conditions in which people were being held. According to Lubinets, there were problems with the sanitary conditions of the restrooms at the detention center. People also lacked drinking water, underwear, blankets, and hygiene supplies. Only an outdoor shower was available for washing.
The Ombudsman believes that these conditions and the situation involving the unlawful detention of people were made possible by a lack of proper oversight. “The absence of systematic oversight created the conditions for such abuse of power,” Lubinets emphasized.
Eleven people were released in July
According to the Ombudsman, the problem was not limited to a single case. Lubinets stated that in July alone, his representative Andriy Kryuchkov secured the release of 11 people who, he said, had been unlawfully detained at the Berehove TCC and SP.
Two more citizens were released directly during the monitoring visit. “The violations were systemic,” Lubinets stated.
The case materials were forwarded to the prosecutor’s office
The Ombudsman believes that the described actions may constitute criminal offenses. Specifically, these include possible unlawful deprivation of liberty, unauthorized handling of information, forgery of official documents, and abuse of power or official authority.
Lubinec reported that he has already forwarded the relevant materials to the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Affairs in the Western Region. He is requesting that the information be entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and that an investigation be conducted.
Thus, according to the Ombudsman’s statement, this is not an isolated incident but rather a matter of potential systemic violations at the Berehove Territorial Center for Temporary Accommodation and the Joint Venture. The investigation will provide the final legal assessment of the officials’ actions.
