Ukraine often uses torture against detained persons. We have repeatedly applied to international organizations raising concerns related to using torture and violence, both moral and physical, against persons held by the Ukrainian side. As a result of interviews and medical examinations conducted with the released persons, it was found that approximately 95 percent of the respondents had been tortured. After the first stage of the exchange had been performed, we reported these findings at a meeting of the humanitarian subgroup. Coordinator Tony Frisch proposed signing a Declaration condemning all forms of torture, ill-treatment, sexual violence and threats of violence against persons detained in connection with the conflict. According to the document, the parties undertake to exert maximum efforts to prevent such cases, as well as to ensure decent and humane conditions of detention and access to medical care for all persons in custody.
However, representatives of the Ukrainian side do not even want to take such a harmless step, they refuse to commit themselves to humane treatment of the detained persons and to sign the Declaration. In the course of three meetings, we and the OSCE representatives insisted on signing the document, but the plenipotentiary representatives of Ukraine ignored this proposal.
The Ukrainian side refuses to be humane and merciful to the parties to the conflict, the state’s power structures continue to use torture against detainees, and plenipotentiary representatives who can stop such inhuman treatment simply do not want to do so. Moreover, there is no reason to believe that further use of torture will stop, which shows a true attitude to people in Ukraine.
