SPERU - Further Support to the Penitentiary Reform in Ukraine

This project was co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the main partners, namely the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the State Executive Service and its interregional branches, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the General Prosecutor Office, the Ombudsmen Office and Civil Society organisations and other relevant national stakeholders interested in penitentiary reform in Ukraine.

Thanks to this project, Ukrainian authorities have been assisted in the promotion of Human rights in the management of prisons as well as in the further development of a rehabilitative approach to offenders in line with the Council of Europe standards, in particular those of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture an Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), and taking into account the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Joint Programme (JP) SPERU achieved the following outcomes:

enhancement of Justice system actors’ awareness to proceed with the penitentiary reform based on the Council of Europe standards
partnerships between the justice system, community services and civil society are facilitated to enhance resocialization and reintegration of prisoners
justice system capacity is enhanced to develop and implement healthcare strategy in prisons

Further support to the reforms in the field of prison and the protection of prisoners’ rights is part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2021.

The project implementation started in July 2019 and ended bewteen October 2021 and April 2022.

Project documentation

Useful information

PROJECT NEWS

Back Online Round table on execution of the ECtHR judgements in respect of the penitentiary system in Ukraine

@ Council of Europe

On 27 August 2020, an online discussion “In search of effective domestic remedies to address systemic problems in the penitentiary system of Ukraine” was organised in cooperation with the Council of Europe Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights for Ukrainian stakeholders and experts on penitentiary issues.

The participants (35) including the Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, the State Agent for execution of the ECtHR judgements, the President of the CPT and representatives of the Ombudsperson’s Office and the National Preventive Mechanism, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Supreme Court of Ukraine, the National School of Judges of Ukraine, State Department of the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of Ukraine discussed the execution of the ECtHR judgements in the Nevmerzhitsky/Sukachov v. Ukraine groups of cases (overcrowding and poor material conditions of detention in SIZOs and lack of effective remedies). Based on discussion, the participants agreed on comprehensive joint approach to deal with deep-rooted systemic human rights violations within the penitentiary system of Ukraine and a need for a multi-agency response.

This activity was organised within the framework of the EU and Council of Europe Joint Project "Support to Prison Reform in Ukraine - SPERU", which is designed to promote human rights compliant management of prisons, including better alignment of prison healthcare provisions with European standards.

Ukraine 27 August 2020