Ombudsman releases findings on unlawful detention, unsanitary conditions, ignored illnesses at Uzhgorod district draft office

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (ombudsman) Dmytro Lubinets has released the findings of a monitoring visit to Uzhgorod District Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support where unlawful detention, unsanitary conditions and the ignoring of illnesses were documented.

Writing on Telegram on Saturday, the ombudsman said the visit to Uzhgorod District Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support confirmed that "today the system of mobilization measures has built its own model of permissiveness: Center of Recruitment and Social Support premises have effectively turned into places of detention without any legal grounds."

According to him, despite obstruction by officials in Uzhgorod, it was possible to document "egregious violations." "People were held here for weeks – detention periods of 21, 24, 30 and even 50 days were recorded. One video shows a veteran presenting his combat veteran certificate, but even that status was not grounds for his release. Documents and phones were taken from people without proper paperwork, depriving them of the right to defense. The living conditions degrade human dignity: for 40-60 people there were only three mugs and eight metal plates, so people were forced to eat in turns from the same dishes without any sanitation, and there was no evidence that food provision had been organized. There was complete unsanitary overcrowding – one toilet and one shower for that number of people, and no bed linen," Lubinets said.

He also said there were cases of obvious illnesses being ignored. Only after the intervention of an ombudsman’s representative was a man with an apparent physical disability – who had been asking for help for several days – hospitalized in a life-threatening condition. "After that, it is not surprising that we receive reports of sudden deaths in Center of Recruitment and Social Support premises," Lubinets said.

He said unless radical changes are introduced into the mobilization system in the near future, and unless Center of Recruitment and Social Support staff face strict legal liability for unlawful actions, the situation will only worsen. "We will continue to see conflicts between citizens and Center of Recruitment and Social Support staff, because defense capability cannot be built on gross violations of the Constitution," Lubinets said.

Following the visit, the ombudsman filed a statement on the commission of criminal offenses under Articles 146, 127, 344 and 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.