MENU
Documenting
war crimes in Ukraine

The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative was set up in response to the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

Similar articles

Russia opens third prison in occupied Crimea to hold political prisoners and civilian hostages abducted from mainland UkraineRussians torture imprisoned 75-year-old Spanish volunteer seized in occupied Kherson Russia opens new prison for Ukrainian political prisoners abducted from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts Vermin, filth and cold in Russia’s torture of imprisoned Crimean Tatar journalists and activists Kremlin hostages’ lives in danger while Russia exploits Covid-19 to further restrict their rightsCoronavirus death trap for Ukrainian political prisoners in occupied Crimea and RussiaHow many deaths do you already have on your conscience?Russia defends its ‘historic right’ to abduct Ukrainian political prisonersUkraine will only help Russia by stripping Donbas residents who take Russian citizenship of their pensionsDangerously ill political prisoner gets limited treatment. Torture in Crimean prison continuesFour violent deaths in Crimean prison where Russia is holding political prisonersUkrainian pensioner seized by Kremlin-backed militants in Ukraine, tortured & jailed for 12 years in Russia‘Natural death’ claimed for 25-year-old Ukrainian detainee with horrific injuriesRussia abducts activist from Ukraine, charges him with involvement in Ukrainian organizationUkraine betrays 61-year-old Ukrainian jailed in Russia on “fantasy novel” chargesMask show at the Odesa SIZORussia imprisons Crimeans in inhuman conditions for their faith or pro-Ukrainian standRussia sentences Ukrainian pensioner captured by Donbas militants to 12 years for ’sabotage’Savchenko law could result in large numbers of prisoners releasedNGOs object to unwarranted detention of Kharkiv police officers

25% of suspects remanded in custody unwarrantedly

16.07.2008   
This is the number of people freed because the investigations are terminated by the criminal investigation or detective inquiry units; the preventive measure is changed; the case is terminated by the courts and through acquittals; suspended sentences etc

Each year from 10 to 15 thousand people, or about 25 % of all remand prisoners, are held in SIZO [remand units] without grounds. These disturbing figures were given by the Minister of Justice Mykola Onishchuk on Friday during a roundtable on pre-trial detention.

The Minister explained that this is the number of people freed because the investigations are terminated by the criminal investigation or detective inquiry units; the preventive measure is changed; the case is terminated by the courts and through acquittals; suspended sentences or convictions with the person being sentenced to a form of punishment not involving deprivation of liberty.

Mr Onishchuk stated that Ukraine’s system of pre-trial detention is characterized by a high risk of human rights abuse. It is regulated by contradictory rules and requires excessively high expenditure. He said that the annual cost to the State is more than 145 million UAH in holding people in custody. He cited data presented in a report commissioned by the Ministry. In cooperation with the American Bar Association “Rule of Law Initiative”. This presents figures for the burden suffered by the remand prisoners, their families and the State.

The Minister names as a considerable failing in the present system for preventive measures and remand in custody the lack of an exhaustive list of cases and criteria for applying remand in custody as opposed to other measures.  He stresses that international standards demand the use of remand only in exceptional circumstances.

Based on information from www.minjust.gov.ua

 Share this