The case involving torture at the Odesa Pretrial Detention Center has been referred to court

An investigation has been completed at the Odesa Pretrial Detention Center into a 45-year-old inmate accused of torturing a cellmate. The indictment has already been submitted to the court, and the man faces up to six years in prison.

This was reported by the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Odesa region.

According to the investigation, in late May, in a cell block of the high-security wing of the Odessa Pretrial Detention Center, the 45-year-old detainee began to bully a 50-year-old newly arrived cellmate.

The man deliberately provoked a quarrel, after which he humiliated and beat the victim, forcing him to kneel and carry slippers in his teeth. He recorded his actions on video.

According to the findings of a forensic medical examination, the victim sustained minor bodily injuries. Psychologists also confirmed that he suffered psychological distress.

The 45-year-old inmate was charged under Part 1 of Article 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—torture. The penalty for this offense is up to six years’ imprisonment.

The pretrial investigation was conducted by investigators from the Odesa District Police Department in collaboration with representatives of the Strategic Investigations Department, the Internal Security Division of the State Penitentiary Service, and the operational unit of the Odesa Pretrial Detention Center. The Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office oversaw the proceedings.

Earlier,Intentreported that the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine had launched an internal investigation into a possible violation of the rights of a person held at the Odesa Pretrial Detention Center. The detention center’smanagement was suspended from their duties for the duration of the investigation.

In addition, a team ofseniorofficials from the Department for the Enforcement of Criminal Sentences was dispatched to the Odessa Pretrial Detention Center to investigate the possible human rights violation and clarify all the circumstances of the incident.

Subsequently, the State Bureau of Investigations stated that the victim was a member of a criminal group consisting of employees of the Odesa Regional Recruitment and Social Support Center, which had set up a torture chamber at the center. 

Андрій Колісніченко