Review of the last few months work of this important council and plans for the next months

It is cheering that the Judges of the Appeal Court treated the case in a principled manner and reminded the prosecutor’s office of their duty to observe all Ukrainian legislation and launch criminal investigations over cases of police abuse of their power

The regional prosecutor’s office has found a huge number of infringements in the conditions for those detained or convicted in detention centres in the Izyumsk, Lozovsk and Kulyansk police stations.

Polkov is accused of having issued the order in autumn 2004 to crush the mass protests in Kyiv against violations during the presidential elections. At that time he held the post of Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and commander of the internal forces.

Over two months the civic organization sent formal requests for information regarding the observance of human rights to subdivisions of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Chernihiv region. They lodged administrative suits against the “most persistent non-respondents

The students mention the unlawful actions of the Sumy region police under Plekhanov in summer 2004, in particular, the destruction of the tent city in Sumy, the assault on participants in the march to Kyiv near Andriyashivka, in the Romensky district, and its active role in the presidential election vote-rigging

The protest was over the appointment as Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Mykola Plekhanov, the former head of the Sumy region MIA during the 2004 elections and beating up of students

On 12 December the “Dobrochyn” [“Charity”] Centre held a roundtable with the title: “Human Rights in the Law Enforcement System of the Chernihiv region”, as well as a live public debate on television called: “Human rights – the present situation and suggestions”.

Over 2005 and 11 months of 2006 human rights monitoring mobile groups, headed by representatives of the Minister in the regions investigated one sixth of Ukraine’s ITT [temporary holding facilities]. The results bring no surprises, but the efforts are at least promising, and there would seem to be some improvements

A survey just published by the "Dobrochyn" Centre confirms the nationwide problems with observing the rights of those detained in ITT (temporary holding facilities) and also points out serious infringements of police officers’ socio-economic rights

Another frightening tale which, if confirmed, shows that the drive to get thugs out of the police force has still some way to go

This disturbing case involving alleged assault by police officers is being bounced back and forth between the prosecutor’s office and the court, presumably in the hope that the victims will give up their quest for justice

One would like to laugh over this truly surreal saga however the picture it paints of court corruption and (apparent) impunity renders even a smile impossible

On positive steps being taken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs these days, and others still very much needed

The Appeal Court found that the practice of "beating confessions" out of innocent people was widely practised in the region’s Department on fighting organized crime [UBOZ]

The recent ruling on an administrative suit filed by the victim of an attack against the police for their refusal to launch a criminal investigation is a positive move for a Ukrainian court and hopefully a lesson for the police

The Central Department of the MIA did not find that its officers acted in violation of their official duties during the assault by a member of the Party of the Regions, Oleh Kalashnikov on a filming crew of Television Channel STB

A harrowing story which for the author has fuly confirmed his suspicion that those who commit acts of torture and brutality in their work cannot fail to be brutalized as people

The Vinnytsa Region Prosecutor’s office reports infringements in holding detained individuals, convicted prisoners, and those remanded in custody.

Criminal proceedings have been brought against four police officers over bodily injuries inflicted on two motorcyclists the four claim infringed the road code (!)