Human Rights Ombudsperson, Valeria Lutkovska claims that this is the law and that she will not be intervening. Lutsenko’s lawyer and the UHHRU Executive Director disagree, saying the right to see ones lawyer is unconditional

The increase seen over the previous two years was stemmed in 2012, almost exclusively through a fall in the number of remand [SIZO] prisoners

An analysis of the grounds for turning down applications for early release of prisoners with grave conditions, with these unfortunately including shoddy preparation of applications, etc

Human rights workers say that the conditions in women’s penitentiary institutions have somewhat improved over recent years, but not medical care and women can be released with tuberculosis and a whole range of chronic illnesses

According to an article by Andrei Sanarovych in the Crimean version of Komentari, since the end of September almost all purchases of vegetables in Ukrainian prison colonies and SIZO [remand units] have been cancelled

The administration of the Mensk Corrective Colony where Yury Lutsenko, former Interior Minister and opposition leader is being held, has banned Mr Lutsneko from passing letters to the outside world

The mortality rate is significantly higher than between 2007 and 2010, as well as a coninuing increase in the number of cases of suicide

The human rights organization Donetsk Memorial has addressed an open appeal to the President, Prosecutor General and Human Rights Ombudsperson regarding what it calls systematic violations by the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine’s Constitution and laws

There are reports of prisoners subjected to beatings and protest suicide attempts which would appear to be connected with the deployment of one of the notorious swift response units

28-year-old Roman Valetov died while detained in the Donetsk SIZO [remand prison]. His relatives assert that he was beaten and point to numerous injuries and bruises. The State Penitentiary Service asserts that he injured himself following spasms similar to an epilepsy attack.

As reported the case of Ihor Zavadsky, a prize-winning accordion-player has given rise to sensational headlines, but also concern. He has now been remanded in custody for another 4 month

Kostyantin Usov, TVi journalist and producer of the programme “Lukyanivka. Prison No. 1” has posted a blog on Ukrainska Pravda in which he offers a 15 thousand UAH reward for information about the people who attacked one of the people in his film.

A film exposing corruption and abuse in Ukraine’s most prominent detention centre – Lukyanivsk SIZO has prompted one criminal investigation. Typically it is over the fact that renowned accordionist Igor Zavadsky, who is being held in a case arousing concern had a mobile telephone by which he spoke with the journalist.

On 18 April the Constitutional Court announced that people serving sentences in penal institutions have the right to participate in hearings into their case at all levels, and pointed out that this right is not presently defined in procedural legislation

The investigation carried out by TVi journalist Kostyantin Usov: “Lukyanivka. Prison No. 1” gained a lot of publicity and has, over recently days, led to many contradictory reports

KHPG has received information that prisoners in Corrective Colony No. 89 in Dnipropetrovsk have been on hunger strike for 5 days. The men are demanding improvement in their conditions, proper medical treatment and food

The Zaporizhya Regional Prosecutor’s Office reports that it has initiated a criminal investigation over the use of unlawful force against a prisoner in the Berdyansk Corrective Colony No. 77

With the highest Ukrainian courts showing reluctance to respond adequately to European Court judgements casting doubt on evidence used to sentence people to life imprisonment, the question is burningly relevant. It will be addressed, together with others, at a press conference on Wednesday in Kyiv

Human rights workers and the relatives of convicted prisoners suspect that the latter were beaten and subjected to torture at the Dnipropetrovsk SIZO [detention centre]. They are sceptical of the official version that the prisoners received injuries during a fight with convoy guards

The Vinnytsa Human Rights Group has reported that prisoners at the Pishchanska Corrective Colony No. 59 in the Vinnytsa region have resorted to self-mutilation in protest over a mass beating.