Ukrainian Justice Minister Maliuska has long been aware of the beatings of prisoners in Ukrainian prisons but has not taken any action

Ukrainian Justice Minister Denys Maliuska has long been aware of the beatings of prisoners in Ukrainian prisons but has not taken any action.

This information was revealed by human rights activist and head of the public organization “Protection of Prisoners of Ukraine,” Oleh Tsilyy, whose statement led to the opening of a criminal case regarding the beatings of prisoners in the Bozhkivska Correctional Colony.

“The system protects itself. Maliuska knows about the beatings of prisoners, but he is told that such methods are used by prison staff to combat the criminal hierarchy. If a prisoner refuses to clean the area, it means he lives by ‘thieves’ laws,’ and accordingly, he needs to be ‘broken’ so he doesn’t live by such laws. But behind this logic of the prison staff are other goals, such as profit. If a prisoner has money, he will have to pay to avoid being forced to clean and, consequently, being beaten,” Tsilyy explains.

According to the human rights activist, beatings of prisoners in colonies are systematic.

“The most prisoners are beaten in the colonies of Kharkiv region. There is not a single colony there where prisoners are not beaten. This happens from the very beginning, as soon as a person arrives at the colony. Upon arrival, the prisoner is immediately offered to clean common areas, which is not provided by law. If he refuses, he is immediately beaten,” Tsilyy asserts.

Tsilyy also says that prison staff themselves record videos of the beatings to later use them to blackmail the prisoners.

“Blackmail continues even after the person is released: either pay, or the video of the beating or humiliation will be posted on the internet. The video that I published, in which prison staff were beating a prisoner, was stolen by the prisoners themselves from the computer of a prison employee,” Tsilyy recounts.

He also notes that prison staff form entire clans, working there for several generations.

“They cover for each other; some beat, others ensure that this information does not leak. Denys Maliuska claims that cameras are being installed in the colonies to record beatings, but these cameras are controlled by the staff involved in the beatings. The video is kept for no more than 30 days, and in response to our official requests, when prisoners complain about beatings, we are told that this happens right under the cameras, but we are answered that the video has been deleted,” Tsilyy explains.

Meanwhile, a prisoner who served time in the Sofiivska Correctional Colony No. 45 stated on camera that the staff often give orders to prisoners working for them to beat other prisoners who refuse to work for the administration.

“As soon as I was brought to the colony, I was met by the staff and ‘goats’ – prisoners who work for the administration. The staff immediately gave the ‘goats’ the order to start beating me. I was beaten so badly that I couldn’t stand for two months,” the prisoner recounts.