The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), as part of a nationwide initiative to combat torture, has exposed a criminal network in the largest detention center in Ukraine — the Kyiv pre-trial detention center (PTDC). Law enforcement officers have detained 13 people involved.
This was reported by the press service of the bureau.
During the investigation, law enforcement officers found out that a stable criminal structure operates in the pre-trial detention center, where about 2 700 people are held. It is run by the so-called "guard". He involved some of the prison staff and doctors in this system, who actually carried out the instructions of the criminal group. They forced the prisoners to pay money, organized drug trafficking and gambling.
In November 2024, after the intervention of the State Bureau of Investigation, the Ministry of Justice, the State Penitentiary Service, and the head of the pre-trial detention center, personnel changes began that stopped the operation of this scheme. However, it was not possible to completely eradicate the influence of crime.
After the changes, investigators recorded how a group of prisoners led by a "guard" took another prisoner out into the yard and brutally beat him. PTDC employees knew about the beating, but did nothing. Moreover, they forged documents and isolated the victim from medical care. He was taken to the hospital only the next day, and on December 28 he died.
The State Bureau of Investigation detained 13 people involved in the crime on April 23. In addition, law enforcement officers reported suspicion to 5 prisoners, including the “guard” — for causing serious bodily harm that caused death. They were sent to serve their sentences in other colonies.
Another 8 employees of the pre-trial detention center, including inspectors, duty officers, doctors, and senior officers in the buildings, were suspected under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 3 of Article 365 — abuse of power or official authority;
- Part 3 of Article 367 — official negligence;
- Part 3 of Article 135 — abandonment in danger;
- Part 2 of Article 139 — failure to provide assistance;
- Part 1 of Article 366 — official forgery;
- Part 1 of Article 358 — forgery of an official document;
- Part 2 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 27 — complicity in a crime by a group.
The sanctions include up to 10 years in prison. The State Bureau of Investigation continues its investigation.
- This case of torture in the pre-trial detention center is not the first to be reported by law enforcement. The day before, investigators uncovered the facts of systematic torture of prisoners in the Poltava prison. Two pre-trial detention center employees have already been reported for suspicion.
- SBI also established that an organized group operated in Bozhkovska colony No. 16, which not only tortured but also killed prisoners.
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