The Council of Europe has concluded its monitoring of 12 cases of torture by law enforcement officials in Ukraine
The Council of Europe has discontinued its enhanced monitoring of the implementation of the judgments in the group of cases “Kaverzin / Afanasyev / Belousov v. Ukraine,” which concerned torture, ill-treatment, and the failure of law enforcement agencies to properly investigate such incidents.
It is noted that this group of cases had been under the Council of Europe’s supervision since 2005. The judgments of the European Court of Human Rights found violations of Article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.
The Office of the Prosecutor General emphasized that simply paying compensation to the victims is not sufficient to conclude the monitoring process. Ukraine was required to demonstrate tangible changes, including ensuring effective investigations, proper legal assessment of the facts, judicial proceedings where necessary, and implementing systemic measures to prevent similar violations in the future.
The cases involved citizens Oleksandr Kaverzin, Oleksiy Afanasyev, and Vyacheslav Belousov, who were detained by police officers between 2000 and 2005. They alleged that they had been subjected to torture and ill-treatment during the investigation.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
Police in Zakarpattia Oblast confirmed that a man with physical injuries was hospitalized after his stay at one of the district territorial centers for conscription and social support. The man later died in the hospital.
In the Ternopil region, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Affairs opened a criminal investigation into possible cases of unlawful deprivation of liberty of citizens at the TCC and SP facility. The investigation was initiated based on the findings of a monitoring visit and materials provided by law enforcement agencies and the Human Rights Commissioner.
