07/02/2022 17:27

The Commissioner checked the observance of the rights of prisoners in Bozhkivka Correctional Colony №16 in Poltava Region

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova, during a working trip to Poltava region, together with members of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Human Rights with the participation of the Minister of Justice of Ukraine paid a monitoring visit to Bozhkivska Correctional Colony № 16 transferred to serve their sentence from Berdyansk colony №77.

According to the Commissioner, the conditions of detention of convicts were checked: some living quarters need repair work.

After communicating with the prisoners transferred from the ICC №77, it was found that their right to protection from torture by the colony administration and other convicts was not violated.

As in the Berdyansk colony, the quarantine section has appointed day laborers from among the convicts serving their sentences in the institution. This poses risks for newcomers to be abused, but no complaints have been received from them.

The Ombudsman stressed the need to raise awareness with prisoners about the possibility of applying for parole.

"Additional attention needs to be paid to the provision of proper medical care to prisoners, the issue of their employment in industries and enterprises, and the establishment of production standards, taking into account the complexity and conditions of their work. The issue of establishing a decent wage for prisoners needs special attention, "said Lyudmila Denisova.

On February 3, 2022, the staff of the Department for the Implementation of the National Preventive Mechanism paid a monitoring visit to Bozhkivska Colony № 16. More detailed information on the identified violations can be found at https://bit.ly/3Lg3IS8