Law enforcement officers who used force to extract confessions will stand trial in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has completed a pretrial investigation into two former law enforcement officers from the Dnipropetrovsk region who used force to extract a confession from a citizen. The indictment against the suspects has already been officially submitted to the court.
According to the investigation, the incident occurred in June 2024 in the Dniprovskyi district. Law enforcement officers responded to a call about a domestic altercation involving a knife wound, where the homeowner insisted that he had acted in necessary self-defense. However, instead of conducting an objective investigation, the suspects decided to force a confession out of the man regarding an attempted murder. They handcuffed the victim, threw him to the ground, and brutally beat him with their fists and feet for an extended period, demanding that he sign the statement they wanted.
As a result of the torture, the man suffered a broken rib and severe chest injuries that put his life at risk. The perpetrators forced the injured man to sign the police reports at the station, after which he was hospitalized the next day in critical condition in the intensive care unit. The former police officers are currently charged with torture committed as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals and with intentionally causing serious bodily harm. The penalties under these articles provide for imprisonment for up to 12 years.
Earlier, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment with the court against three investigators from one of the departments of the Nikopol District Police Department for abuse of authority. They unlawfully detained and tortured two citizens.
The State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine suspended the management of the Odesa Detention Center from their duties pending an internal investigation following the online release of a video showing unlawful actions against a detainee. According to the non-governmental organization “Non-Stop Ukraine,” the detention center director, together with investigative officer Serhiy Y., organized a money-extortion scheme under which every newly arrived inmate had to pay between $2 and $15,000, and those who refused were subjected to abuse by inmates in the facility.
