Criminal investigation over alleged police brutality of a detainee

Relatives of a man from Donetsk say that police raped him with a crowbar after detaining him and taking him to the Petrovsk District Police Station.

After reports of this became public, the Donetsk Prosecutor’s Office announced that it was initiating a criminal investigation regarding one police officer who inflicted serious injuries on a local resident.  The announcement says that the man was brought in to draw up a protocol over an administrative offence.

“After this the police station inspector, clearly exceeding his powers and duties, inflicted bodily injuries on the detained man.” These resulted in considerable damage to soft tissue, internal organs and a closed rib fracture.

The officer has been arrested, with the criminal investigation under Article 365 § 3 (exceeding official powers, with grave consequences.