Security Service’s pretrial detention facility in Kyiv being inspected off-schedule

A Kyiv pretrial detention facility of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is being inspected off-schedule after Assistant UN Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović made the statement about tortures in Ukraine, used both by separatists and the SBU officers.

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Valeria Lutkovska, Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak and Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko took part in the inspection.

“A Kyiv pretrial detention facility of the Security Service of Ukraine is being inspected off-schedule right now. Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko invited Ombudsperson Valeria Lutkovska and SBU Chairman Vasyl Hrytsak to inspect one of the pretrial detention facility in response to a statement by Assistant UN Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović about tortures in Ukraine, used both by separatists and the SBU officers,” the press-secretary of the Prosecutor General Larysa Sarhan posted on Facebook to Facebook.

June 3, Simonovic said at a briefing in Kyiv, during presentation of the 14th report of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, there were hundreds of cases of torture in the war zone and the government-controlled areas.

“As for the exact numbers… I can say that we documented charges of hundreds of cases of torture,” Simonovic said.

According to him, this is referred to the cases which had occurred in the territory controlled by the armed militants, but also about specific cases which had occurred in the area controlled by the Government of Ukraine.