Human rights activists to appeal to Strasbourg because of beatings in Berdiansk prison

Kharkiv Human Rights Group and lawyers will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to protect the convicts, who were beaten in the territory of Berdiansk prison colony No.77.

February 27, 2015, twelve newly arrived convicts were beaten there. They did not receive medical aid and the prison officials exerted pressure on them.

“We believe that there are no mechanisms at the national level to restore the rights and bring the perpetrators to justice and so we are forced to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. I think that the ECHR will consider that statement. And it will be another judgment against Ukraine that will show that the convicts suffer inhumane treatment in our penal institutions and the police continue covering it up,” assistant attorney Vasyl Melnychuk said.

The human rights activists have appealed to the Justice Ministry, the State Penitentiary Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ombudsperson’s Office of Ukraine and asked them to investigate those facts, said Deputy Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group Oleksandr Pavlychenko.

He also noted that the information about the mass beating in the colony had been submitted to Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland and Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks.

“No proper investigation has been carried out as of today. The perpetrators have not been identified and have not been brought to justice. The practice of the beating continues, a similar case occurred on August 14, 2015,” Pavlychenko said.

Former convict of Berdiansk prison colony Mykola Molokov said that only two of twelve beaten convicts had told about the incident. Molokov is sure that his public statements about the beating caused institution of a new criminal case against him.