Ukrainians to pay 9,000 euros to compensate for torturing Kharkiv resident by police

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has confirmed that the right of Kharkiv resident Serhiy Ushakov to a fair trial and freedom from torture was violated.

The man was accused of murder in 2008. Then, the police officers found a body of a pensioner who had a property dispute with the suspect.

Serhiy Ushakov claims that law enforcement officers tortured him and his wife all night long.

Hennadiy Tokarev, the lawyer of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group, admits that he was taken bad when he read a detailed description of tortures.

“It’s my job to consider such cases, but even for me it was difficult to read such a description. This is an encyclopedia and technology of tortures. All the known types of torture were used in this one episode. Finally, he was forced to recognize his guilt,” ATH portal quotes Tokarev as saying.

The prosecutors believed Ushakov as traces of beatings were obvious, the human rights activist said. The man was released from custody, he was given the guards, and criminal proceedings were opened against the law enforcement officers who had detained him.

However, as reported by the media, the law enforcement officers burst into the prosecutor’s office, took Ushakov by force, who was bearing testimony then, brought him to the police department and forced to write a statement that he allegedly had no complaints about them. Now the prosecutor’s office does not comment on why they did not respond to actions of the police. The court found Serhiy Ushakov guilty and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled to pay him 9,000 euros in compensation with the right of reviewing the criminal case.

Hennadiy Tokarev said that the policemen, who had tortured man, were not punished still.

According to him, one of the police officers, who tortured Ushakov, had already been defendant in the case and now continues to work in the Kharkiv police.

The human rights activist doubts that the problem of torture in Ukraine will be eradicated soon. This is confirmed by the fact that Tornado battalion fighters were clearly beaten during detention.

It was earlier reported that the ECHR ruled to pay 3,000 euros in compensation for moral damage to Anatoliy Kryvosheyev due to gross violation of his rights during the investigation.

The Ukrainian human rights activists question the legality of court rulings on life imprisonment for hundreds of citizens of Ukraine. They require the Verkhovna Rada to pass the bill No. 2033a that allows the courts of appeal to review such sentences.