The State Bureau of Investigation has completed a pre-trial investigation into the former head of the Kharkiv Pre-Trial Detention Center and six employees of the facility. Investigators believe their actions led to the detainee's death; an indictment has already been sent to court, the Bureau confirmed.
According to the materials of the proceedings, in April 2025, the SIZO employees, contrary to the law, placed a newly arrived detainee in a cell with an already convicted person. Soon after, the latter brutally beat the man, causing serious injuries. Despite the victim's critical condition, the staff did not call for medical help and isolated him in a separate room without proper assistance; the man died during the night. An examination found that timely medical intervention could have saved his life.
The investigation also recorded attempts to hide the real circumstances of the incident: unreliable information was submitted to official bodies, the illegal transfer to another cell and the lack of medical care were hushed up.
Depending on the role of each, the indictment incriminates abuse of power or official authority, which caused grave consequences (Part 3 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code), abandonment in danger, which led to death (Part 3 of Article 135 of the Criminal Code), as well as official negligence with fatal consequences (Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code). The maximum sanction is up to 10 years in prison. The police are separately investigating the actions of the convict who beat up his cellmate.
