Illegal cages for detention of people must be dismantled – NPM monitors

The monitors of the National Preventive Mechanism demand to immediately dismantle illegal cages for detention of people in police departments at Kyiv subway, which remained from the Soviet times.

The NPM monitors announced this at today’s press conference in the Ukrainian Media Crisis Center.

According to the human rights activists, despite the fact that the Ukrainian legislation does not stipulate the presence of such cages in the subway, they are installed even at new stations.

The press conference participants said that in April this year the NPM monitors visited without prior notification several stations of Kyiv subway – “Vokzalna”, “Maidan Nezalezhnosti” and “Palats Sportu”. During the visit, they found serious violations and recommended the National Police to dismantle these places of detention. However, during the second visit to these and other stations on August 29, it was revealed that the cages still were used. One man was found in the cage at “Lisova” station.

According to NPM monitor Maksym Butkevych, the conditions of detention in these places do not meet either national or international standards for treatment of detainees.

“Unfortunately, the cages sometimes become not only a symbol of arbitrariness, but also of a lack of hygiene. Thus, a syringe was found at one of the visited cages. There is usually only a one subject – a rough bench, not fixed to the floor. There is very little space for sitting, not to mention lying. Cages are dirty. Such conditions of detention of people are unacceptable. Kits are characterized by extremely small set of drugs,” the monitor said.

– говорить монітор.

As explained by NPM monitor Serhiy Pernykoza, pursuant to Ukrainian law, the police can have cells for detainees and delivered persons, the requirements to which are clearly defined in the order of the Interior Ministry (No. 181). The cages in the police departments at subway do not meet these requirements.

The monitors stress that police officers do not register the stay of people in cages at the subway. At the stations, which monitors visited, there were no police logbooks containing information about detained and delivered persons, and other important documents. There were no video cameras at most stations and police departments. This can lead to abuse and unjustified detention.

According to Yevhen Levantsov, the representative of the NPM department of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the law enforcement officers regard the cages as means of personal defense against aggressive offenders. He argues that the police have taken no action to dismantle cages, despite the recommendation of monitors.