The British newspaper Daily Express has published an article highlighting the critical conditions of prisoners in Ukrainian prisons. According to the publication, massive human rights violations that have taken place in the penitentiary system are influencing the decisions of European courts regarding extradition.
The publication also writes that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are actively using criminal cases to blackmail and extort money from entrepreneurs.
The statement is from 42 prominent Ukrainian business representatives who this year expressed their concern to Zelensky about pressure on business and "the use of martial law by corrupt law enforcement officers to extort money from entrepreneurs.".
I recall the recent police raid on one of Ukraine's leading investment brokerage companies, Concorde, and the arrest of its owner, Igor Mazepa.
The publication notes that many entrepreneurs, when they came under pressure, were forced to leave the country, and now Kyiv is demanding their extradition. However, European courts “are increasingly unwilling to comply with these requests and are becoming increasingly critical of the Ukrainian justice system.”.
The article cites a U.S. State Department report on human rights violations in Ukrainian prisons. It says that prison conditions remain harsh, with “physical abuse, lack of proper medical care, and inadequate nutrition” as pressing problems. Prisoners also reported instances of cruel and degrading treatment by both prison authorities and fellow prisoners.
Due to the very poor reputation of the Ukrainian criminal justice system, requests from Kyiv are rejected even in cases related to war crimes. An example is given of how Finland refused to extradite to Ukraine a 36-year-old Russian citizen, one of the leaders of the Rusych group, Yan Petrovsky.
The publication cites another example of a refusal to extradite: the Supreme Court of Sweden ruled against the extradition of a person to Ukraine, citing Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court stated that prison conditions in Ukraine have deteriorated since the beginning of the war, with increased risks of ill-treatment and threats to both life and health.
Ukrainian judge of the ECHR Mykola Hnatovsky said that Ukraine ranks second after Turkey in the number of lawsuits filed with the court. The most common complaint is the terrible and inhumane conditions of detention in Ukrainian prisons.
“Once you are detained, no conventions against torture apply. There are no human rights. This is a zone free of human rights. They will force you to sign anything they want, whether it is selling your business for a fraction of its value or transferring assets,” comments Ukrainian lawyer Rostyslav Kravets.
