108 MONITORING OF CUSTODIAL SETTINGS IN UKRAINE: group for development of national standards of custody for persons detained for administrative offences. This group was established on the Ombudsman’s initiative. Pursuant to the requirements of Article 10 of ECHR the Administration of SBSU has made a number of steps to include relevant educational materials and information on prohibition of torture into personnel training programs. Thus, 10 regional trainings held in 2012 - 2013 in cooperation with IOM and UNHCR and with the support of the National Academy and Training Center of the State Border Service of Ukraine addressed the topic of respect of detainees’ rights and, in particular, the prohibition of torture. These activities were attended by 250 officers, of whom 70 became the so called knowledge multipliers; they use the received materials for further advanced training of personnel engaged in border control and guarding of detainees. 2.4. Results of monitoring of custodial settings of the State Migration Service The custodial settings of the State Migration Service of Ukraine are the temporary accommodation centers (further referred to as TACs) for foreigners and stateless persons illegally staying in Ukraine. for personal use. SMSU authorities operate two such facilities that are designed for simultaneous accommodation of 373 persons: Volhynia TAC (for 165) and Chernihiv TAC (for 208). NPM visit to this facility took place in June 2013. Upon arrival to the institution the members of the monitoring team had to wait at the entry checkpoint for 15-20 minutes for the TAC governor’s permission to get in, although personnel on duty had at its disposal the text of the rule on unimpeded access of NPM staff. According to DMSU data during 2013 these TACs held 337 persons. Most of them from Vietnam – 61, others - from Afghanistan 42, Bangladesh – 26, Somalia - 24, Georgia - 21, China - 12, Sri Lanka - 8. However, it should be noted that the administration and staff of the facility did not complicate or anyhow hinder free onsite movement of the NPM team members or their private interviews with inmates. NPM visited Volhynia MAC as it was the only facility operating from June through December 2013. Main problems (identified in 2013) possibly qualified as manifestations of ill-treatment The facility was built in 2008 with the financial assistance of the European Union in accordance with the best international standards. The inmates held in the institution enjoy decent living conditions and can satisfy their social and other needs; in particular, they make use of a kitchen to cook their food, of showers and washers, can engage in individual and collective sports, and buy foodstuffs and other items The visit revealed one fact of groundless restriction of the detained foreigners’ access to contacts with the outer world – they mobile phones were seized upon placement to the facility, in contravention of p. 7.1 of the Provisions on temporary accommodation centers for foreigners and stateless persons illegally staying in Ukraine.

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents