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

How amendments to the Penal Code are (not) workingExecution or Siberian labour camp for opposing Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory Foiled by Finland, Russia forces asylum seekers to fight its war against Ukraine Crimean Tatar journalist sent to Siberia for 19 years for reporting on Russian repression in occupied Crimea New arrest on grotesque criminal charges in Russia’s attack on Perm Memorial and historical memory Ukrainian political prisoner’s sentence increased for contempt of Russian kangaroo court No end to Russia’s brutal reprisals against imprisoned 66-year-old historian of the Soviet Terror Ukraine’s penitentiary institutions and the war‘Stand up for your convictions, even if you stand alone!’ Anti-war activities in Russia, 3-9 OctoberRussian invaders remove Ukrainian language and literature from schools Russia sends forcibly mobilized Ukrainians from occupied Donbas to die as ‘live bait’ at the frontlineRussia destroys Mariupol and tries to get illegally deported residents to move to Siberia Russian invaders kill 96-year-old Ukrainian Holocaust survivor Reform strategy of medical care for prisoners (updated)Blind Crimean political prisoner prevented from reading why Russia wants to imprison him for 20 years Russia is trying to destroy historian Yury Dmitriev and “what they’ve done to his daughter is even more horrifying”A brief description of the KHPG strategic litigations in the first half of 2021Reform strategy of medical care for prisonersPrisoners’ rights to health protection and medical care in 2014-2021: KHPG reportPrisoners’ rights in Ukraine 2014-2021: KHPG report

KHPG: labour rights infringed in prison colonies

05.02.2015   
Dangerous working conditions and lack of safety mechanisms; reductions in wages or even non-payment altogether were the conditions Kharkiv Human Rights Group monitors found in prison colonies in the Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky and Zhytomir oblasts

Dangerous working conditions and lack of safety mechanisms; reductions in wages or even non-payment altogether were the conditions Kharkiv Human Rights Group monitors found in prison colonies No. 25, 58, 70 and 100 in the Kharkiv, Khmelnytsky and Zhytomir oblasts.  They found several occasions where workshops were not officially registered.  The State Penitentiary Service has promised to carry out a check.

Gennady Tokarev, director of the KHPG Centre for Strategic Litigations, said that on average prisoners receive around 200 UAH a month, this being around half of what they are entitled to receive.  In fact, however, some people are on good terms with the prison administration and get two or three times more, meaning that many receive as little as 30 or 50 UAH, or nothing at all.

Prisoners have the right to paid work, and the conditions of work should differ in only certain areas from the conditions for people at liberty. That is the theory, however the practice is different, beginning with the contract of work. Since this is a contract between the prison colony and the body commissioning it, the prisoners who carry out the work are basically treated as things, not as parties to labour relations.

Anna Lytvyn, KHPG lawyer says that she and her colleague have come upon workshops which are not registered and are therefore effectively working illegally  In most production areas of prison colonies, safety requirements are infringed.

KHPG also found cases of physical pressure on prisoners.  Analogous cases were reported in the January report issued by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture [CPT]. 

 Share this