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

The employees of the SBI have established that the organized group operated in the State Institution "Bozhkovska Correctional Colony (№ 16)," which had been not only torturing but also killing prisoners.

The State Bureau of Investigation conducts systematic work to identify and stop shameful facts of torture in penitentiary institutions. In the spring of 2024, the Bureau exposed a large-scale system of torture of prisoners in the Bozhkovska colony.

The investigators managed to prove not only the facts of abuse and beating, but also the actual murder of prisoners, when the cruelty of torture caused the death of the prisoners.

The investigation established that the victims of the criminals were almost everyone who first got there. The fact of the death of one of the prisoners from bodily harms was documented.

The newcomers were threatened and beaten until their will was broken and they were forced to unquestioningly follow any instructions of the administration of the institution.

From the moment of arrival to the colony, each of the convicts underwent a strict acceptance procedure, during which the newly arrived convicts were forced to clean the floor, filming that process on the video camera. In case of refusal, torture was applied to him: he was beaten with hands, kicks, rubber truncheons and sticks in various parts of the body, twisted arms, etc. Among other things, for example, the fact of inflicting more than 200 blows on one of the convicts was documented.

The five officials of the State Institution "Bozhkov Correctional Colony (№ 16)" were served notifications of a new suspicion under Part 3 of Article 28 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (organized group), Part 2 of Article 127 (torture), the actions of the head of the organized group are additionally qualified under Part 2 of Article 121 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (intentional grievous bodily harm).

The sanction of the Articles provides for imprisonment for up to 10 years.

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