On 6 August 2020 the Council of Europe donated to the Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) on procedural supervision of investigations of torture and other serious human rights violations attributable to law enforcement agencies a brand-new IT equipment in order to facilitate the Department’s work. The equipment includes desktops, laptops, other necessary office equipment and supplies.
Ms Olena Lytvynenko, the Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, highlighted importance of cooperation between the Office of Prosecutor General and the Council of Europe: “Creation of the Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General on procedural supervision of investigations of torture and other serious human rights violations attributable to law enforcement agencies is a great achievement for all of us as it was created based on the Council of Europe recommendations. We believe that this Department is a key to prevention of torture and ill-treatment in Ukraine, therefore we will continue supporting its work. We trust that this equipment will increase the operational capacity of the Department”.
Mr Roman Govda, the First Deputy Prosecutor General, acknowledged a significant practical meaning of the cooperation with the Council of Europe Office: “We will do our best to ensure strengthening of the relationship and hope that one day the Council of Europe will consider cooperation with the Office of Prosecutor General as an exemplary reference of success in the context of the OPG’s operational functionality and its compliance with the European standards”.
Mr Yurii Belousov, the head of the Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) on procedural supervision of investigations of torture and other serious human rights violations attributable to law enforcement agencies expressed his gratitude to the Council of Europe for supporting their efforts on fighting against torture and ill-treatment in Ukraine: “Execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in the Kaverzin/Afanasiev group of cases, which concerns torture and ill-treatment by law enforcement officers, is the highest priority for the work of our Department”.
Effective implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) in Ukraine requires addressing serious human rights violations, in particular torture and ill-treatment committed by law enforcement officials. Effective investigation into serious abuses and accountability of perpetrators are the key measures required by the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in this regard. Creating a conducive working environment for the staff of the OPG in charge of such investigations is important to increase the effectiveness of their work as the success of their work is fundamental for the fulfillment of Ukraine’s aforementioned obligations under the Convention as a Council of Europe member state.
The IT equipment was donated within the framework of the Council of Europe Project “Human Rights Compliant Criminal Justice System in Ukraine” which is implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2018-2021.
