Kyiv pre-trial detention center.
UNIAN / Viktor Kovalchuk
As reported by State Bureau of Investigation
The State Bureau of Investigation has opened a criminal case into the death of a former employee of Kyiv Detention Center. He became one of five defendants in the case of the death of a detainee in the same detention center. According to the State Bureau of Investigation, a week ago an ambulance was called to Kyiv Detention Center due to a sharp deterioration in the health of one of the detainees. The person turned out to be a former detention center employee who had previously been accused of systematic abuses. After examination, doctors recorded serious internal injuries: a closed abdominal injury, a splenic rupture, a contusion of the pancreas, hematomas of the mesentery of the small intestine, and other injuries. There were no visible signs of beating on the body of the detainee. He died several days later – on September 24, 2025.
The deceased was one of five defendants in the case of beating to death another inmate at Kyiv Detention Center. In August this year, investigators with the State Bureau of Investigation completed the pre-trial investigation into this matter and forwarded the materials to the court.
Timeline of events and current status of the investigation
The former Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytro Lubinets, accused the staff of Kyiv Detention Center of concealing the causes of the death of the injured detainee. According to him, at the time of the incident the relevant documents contained data about injuries as a result of negligence. However, the Ombudsman’s team found that the detention center employees could have known the true circumstances – deliberate infliction of bodily harm – but did not report to the prosecutor’s office and to the investigative authorities.
The Ombudsman’s team also emphasized the need to strengthen oversight of prisoners’ rights and the transparency of the penitentiary system’s actions.
The case has now been forwarded to court, which marks the start of a trial into the circumstances of the death of the former employee and clarifying the role of the other defendants in the beating case.
Experts and human rights advocates stress the importance of transparency in investigations and accountability of the penitentiary system. The court process should provide clear answers regarding the circumstances of the death and the mechanisms of accountability for possible violations in places of detention.
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