In Odessa, the trial in the case of torture in a pretrial detention center was postponed for the second time

The Khadzhibey District Court of Odesa has postponed the preliminary hearing in the case involving the torture of a former TCC employee at a local pretrial detention center for the second time. The hearing has been postponed until November 26.

This was reported by Suspilne.Odesa. 

The hearing was postponed due to the absence of the victim, who was transferred from the Odesa pretrial detention center to a correctional colony in the Kirovohrad region, as well as due to the defendant’s motion to appoint a defense attorney.

Judge Oleg Neporada noted that holding a preliminary hearing without a defense attorney is procedurally impossible.

The investigation into abuse at the Odesa Detention Center began in early June 2026, when a video was shared on social media showing one of the detainees being forced to carry slippers in his teeth. After the footage was made public, the facility’s management was suspended from duty, and the State Penitentiary Service launched an internal investigation.

The State Bureau of Investigations opened a criminal case regarding the abuse of authority by pretrial detention center staff. The agency clarified that the victim was a former employee of the district TCC and SP, who had previously been known to commit acts of violence against conscripts himself. In late June, police charged the victim’s 45-year-old cellmate with torture, and in the fall, an indictment against him was filed with the court.

On July 3, the Ombudsman’s office in the Odesa region stated that the detention center administration had likely attempted to cover up evidence of the crime. During an inspection of the cell where the incident occurred, signs of recent repairs were found, and, according to facility staff, the surveillance footage from the building had been lost due to a technical malfunction.

Юлія Калабайда