The SBI exposed systemic violations in Kyiv Pre-trial Detention Center: 13 people were detained

The State Bureau of Investigation, together with the leadership of the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine, conducts an operation within the country to counter torture and inhuman treatment in places of detention. As part of this activity, the State Bureau of Investigation eliminated the criminal hierarchy in the largest pre-trial detention center in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of 2024, the investigators of the SBI have carried out a set of measures to document systemic torture committed by employees of the Kyiv Pre-trial Detention Center.

During the investigation, the law enforcement officers found a stable hierarchical structure of criminal influence in the institution, which houses about 2,700 people. It was headed by the so-called «overseer».  He involved part of the staff of the pre-trial detention center and doctors, who actually acted under the control of criminals, to the functioning of this "hierarchy".

The representatives of this structure organized drug trafficking, systematically extorted money from prisoners, conducted gambling and used physical violence, including fatal ones.

In November 2024, the SBI, together with the leadership of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine and the head of the pre-trial detention center, initiated personnel changes that actually stopped the activities of the criminal network. At the same time, some employees of the detention center remained under the influence of the criminals.

Thus, after the personnel changes, the SBI documented the actions of a group of prisoners guided by the «overseer» who, due to the inaction of the staff, took one of the prisoners to the yard, severely beat him, what eventually led to his death.

The employees of the pre-trial detention center knew about the beating, but tried to hide it: they forged documents, decided to isolate the victim without proper medical care. Only the next day he was taken to the hospital, where he died on December 28.

On April 23, 2025, based on the collected materials, the SBI conducted an operation to detain 13 people, who are suspected of involvement in the crime.

The five prisoners, including the «overseer», were served notifications of suspicion of inflicting grievous bodily harm that caused death (Part 2 of Article 121 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). They were transferred to other detention centers.

The 8 employees of the pre-trial detention center - inspectors, duty officers, doctors and wardens in the corps – were served notifications of suspicion under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

Part 3 of Article 365 - excess of power or official authority;

Part 3 of Article 367 - official negligence;

Part 3 of Article 135 - leaving 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 of persons.

The sanctions of Articles provide for imprisonment for up to 10 years.

The SBI continues the pre-trial investigation and carries out systematic work on combating torture in the institutions of the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine.

Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

It should be reminded, that The SBI exposed the facts of cruel torture in the State Institution «Poltava detention center».

The SBI established that an organized group operated in Bozhkovska colony № 16, which had been not only torturing but also killing prisoners.

In the Carpathian region, the SBI served notifications of suspicion to officials of two correctional colonies, who tried to profit from the work of prisoners.

The SBI completed the investigation against organizers and participants of large-scale drug trafficking to Kyiv pre-trial detention center.