The torture scandal in Ukrainian colonies has flared up with renewed vigor

The torture scandal in Ukrainian colonies has flared up with renewed vigor

The State Bureau of Investigation announced yesterday that it had exposed a large-scale system of torture of prisoners. Brutal footage of prisoners being beaten has been published.

Both ordinary prisoners and famous people are subjected to physical and moral humiliation.

In some cases, sophisticated bullying leads to the death of people in custody - in the summer, the owner of the MHP media holding, Ihor Mizrakh, died in prison.

This week, the State Bureau of Investigation announced the exposure of torture of prisoners in colonies in a number of regions of Ukraine, which was systemic in nature.

Four employees of the Bozhkovska correctional colony (No. 16), which is located in the Poltava region, received suspicions.

According to the investigation, almost all prisoners there were severely beaten. Possible deaths due to beatings are being checked.

Various systems of torture, bullying and pressure were used.

“The new arrivals were threatened with settlement among prisoners “outcast by society” and beaten until they broke their will and were forced to unquestioningly follow any instructions,” the SBI reports.

The beatings were filmed and are now included in the case.

The footage is truly brutal. A strong man can be seen hitting the prisoner’s feet with all his might with a rubber baton.

It is obvious that the prisoner is already exhausted, but the man does not stop and continues the torture.

When the prisoner completely loses consciousness, the men in uniform standing nearby forcefully drag him into a huge ice puddle - they throw him there face-first.

The acquisition by prison staff of numerous assets for which they had no official funds is also being investigated.

The violence in the Bozhkovska correctional colony is by no means the first such case in Ukraine.

Among the prisoners they spoke in detail about in which zones torture occurs, who uses it against prisoners, and why some of them are filmed.

This is the so-called “acceptance” - a system of subordination, which, as a rule, is used in “red zones” - in colonies that are completely controlled by the administration. Bozhkovskaya CC No. 16 has always been considered a “red” colony.

“Acceptance” applies to prisoners arriving for the first time in the “red” zone. This happens immediately after the arrival at the stage is quarantined, where he must spend several days.

The newcomer is informed that the zone is “red” and he must fully comply with all the requirements of the administration and the activists (prisoners collaborating with the administration).

The requirements include not only complete obedience and the obligation to comply with the rules of the colony regime.

“In almost all “red” zones, they immediately offer to donate half of the salary that they will receive while working in the zone for the “needs” of the colony. Naturally, the “needs of the colony” are the pocket of the owner and godfather of the zone (the head of the colony and his deputy for operational work - Ed.),” our sources among prisoners say.

But the requirement to give half of their salary applies to ordinary workers.

“It’s much more interesting if a “fat crucian carp” — a former businessman or official — gets into the zone, he is required to make monthly transfers from relatives for “needs,” which can vary from a thousand to ten thousand dollars a month, depending on the wealth of the “crucian carp.” This is the main income for the management of most “red” zones - we are talking about hundreds of thousands of hryvnias of income per month,” the interlocutors note.

Not everyone who arrives at the colony, according to prisoners, immediately agrees to blackmail. And in such cases, torture is applied to those who are finished.

In addition, prisoners are often beaten for various, from the point of view of the administration, offenses. This is considered one of the ways to keep the contingent of convicts in obedience.

In addition to ordinary prisoners, prisoners of the "thieves" categories - in prison slang, "suits" - are often sent to the "red" colonies. They are also tortured.

“First of all, they break the “thieves” and “deniers” who comply with the “human movement” (thieves’ prison rules - Ed.). Activists from among the household servants enter the quarantine and beat the arriving prisoner. But for the final breaking, it is necessary to have incriminating evidence on the arrival,” the interlocutors note.

Therefore, he is subjected to some humiliating procedure, which can forever transfer him to the category of “offended”, which also exists in the “red” zones.

“To do this, they can forcibly dip their head into the toilet, urinate on it, or rub a rag from the restroom over their face. This is filmed, which is passed on to the godfather or the owner of the zone - such incriminating evidence best ensures the complete obedience of the prisoner. As well as his agreement to regularly pay tribute "

In pre-trial detention centers and colonies, violence has been put on stream.

Both representatives of criminals and the administration are involved in this, which ensures impunity for criminals.

Most often, prisoners are beaten and tortured in order to extort money from them. In this sense, Ukrainian prisons have long become “cash cows”, bringing profit to both criminals and the administration.

And, as the prisoners note, the wealthier a person ends up on a bunk, the higher the “interest” in him.

After the start of a full-scale invasion, the situation in prisons worsened even more, as pressure from security forces on business increased sharply throughout the country.

“Before the war, there was an important safety net in the form of the courts. The authorities and security forces did not fully control the courts. And on issues that are not politically important, there you could protect yourself from being taken into custody if you were made a suspect in a criminal case. But after February 24 the situation has changed dramatically. The courts have become very obedient. And now they rarely reject requests for detention,” said one of the well-known lawyers, a former law enforcement officer.

According to our interlocutor, as a result, the security forces saw this as a real goldmine for themselves and are now sweepingly opening criminal cases under various articles against entrepreneurs, extorting money from them or threatening to send them to prison.

“Those who do not agree and end up in a pre-trial detention center are subjected to maximum pressure there. This is already a whole conveyor of violence and extortion,” our interlocutor notes.

Since violence against prisoners in Ukrainian prisons is widespread, this may provide additional arguments for European courts to refuse extradition to Ukraine.