Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union Annual Activity Report 2008 History of the organization

In 2008 Arkadiy Bushchenko, 42-years old, was elected to the post of the Board Chairman. He is skilled human rights defender, lawyer and member of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.

Arkadiy Bushchenko graduated National Academy of Ukraine on specialty of jurisprudence, since 2003 has being worked in the sphere of human rights protection. He has put more than 40 applications in European Court of Human Rights (Afanasyev v Ukraine, Soldatenko v Ukraine and others). Newly elected Chairman is an expert of working group on developing the draft of new Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine of the National Commission on strengthening democracy and rule of law under the President of Ukraine. Also Bushchenko is an author of 9 books and 15 publications on human rights issues.

1. 
   Arkadiy Bushchenko – the Board Chair (Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, Kharkiv)
   
2. 
   Olexandr Bukalov – (Donetsk Memorial, Donetsk)
   
3. 
   Mykola Kozyryev – (The Public Committee of constitutional rights and freedoms protection, Luhansk)
   
4. 
   Olexandr Stepanenko – (“Helsinki Initiative-XXI”, Chortkiv, Ternopil region)
   
5. 
   Mykola Korobko – (Kryvyi Rih City Association of Ukrainian Society “Enlightenment” named after Taras Shevchenko, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovs’k region)
   
6. 
   Volodymyr Chemerys – (The Institute “Republic”, Kyiv)
   
7. 
   Alla Tyutyunnyk – (Kherson City Association of Journalists “South”, Kherson)
   
8. 
   Sergiy Burov − (Youth City NGO “Youth Alternative”, “M’ART”, Chernihiv)
   
9. 
   Volodymyr Ponomarenko – (Konotop Organization of Consumers and Taxpayers “Dignity”, Konotop, Sumy region)
   

Volodymyr Yavorskyy – Executive Director

Lyudmyla Yelcheva –Finance Director

Iryna Kuchynska – Accountant

Maxym Shcherbatyuk – Lawyer

Oleg Levytskyi – Lawyer

Maryna Govoruhina – PR-manager, journalist

Natalya Morgun – Secretary

Vitaliy Novikov – UHHRU web-site administrator

3. 
   The main directions of activity
   

• 
  protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the courts, in the bodies of state authority and local self-governments; rendering of legal assistance for the persons for their rights and freedoms protection;
  
• 
  the regular monitoring of situation with fundamental freedoms and human rights observance in Ukraine and providing of information about the cases of rights and freedoms violations;
  
• 
  conducting of researches in the sphere of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including permanent monitoring of the drafts of laws and other legal acts, counteracting the adoption of statutory acts which disimprove the ensuring of rights and freedoms, the public discussions of the drafts of normative acts, developing of own proposals;
  
• 
  human rights education: holding of educational events and campaigns, seminars, trainings, conferences, schools, etc;
  
• 
  development and support of human rights organizations.
  

4. 
   Protection of the victims of human rights abuses
   

Experienced lawyers hold the citizens consultations as at the office in Kyiv for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups of society (on Mondays since 2 p.m. till 6 p.m.), so they do the same remotely.

Office of Association in Kyiv has provided 492 consultations in written form during 2008. The responses contained the information about the possible ways of violated rights protection. With reference to messages received, UHHRU also systematically urge the corresponding state authorities with the aim to renew or protect persons’ rights. In separate cases, free layer is provided.

Legal assistance is also rendered on-line on the UHHRU web-site in the way of the questions answering in the section “Questions to human rights defender”. This section is the most visited and popular among the people. 1854 on-line consultations have being provided in 2008. It is twice as many as in 2007.

In 2008, supported by “Oxfam Novib”, UHHRU continued to coordinate the work of the only one network of public receptions for rendering the people the primary free of charge legal assistance.

The UHHRU receptions provide the next kinds of legal assistance:

• 
  informational-consultative assistance;
  
• 
  support on documents preparation, including drafting of the claims;
  
• 
  presentations of persons’ interests in courts and other state authority bodies;
  
• 
  elaborating of applications to the European Court of Human Rights.
  

At this time network consists of 12 receptions, which are situated in Kherson, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Kirovograd, Lviv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Ternopil, Konotop (Sumy region), Severodonetsk (Luhansk region), Sevastopol and Kyiv.

Reception of citizens in these cities holds as minimum once a week. Also many people address their appeals in written form (letters), by phone and through the Internet. Beside the receptions of citizens in regional offices, every organization organizes mobile consultations to the difficult of access places, where often there are no possibilities to receive any legal assistance.

7009 consultations have been provided by these receptions in 2008. More often retirees, unwed mothers and families with many children, convicted and accused persons, victims of the crimes apply to the receptions for their rights protection. More than 51% of consultations have been provided for the women. Most of all citizens complain about courts, police and bodies of local self-government.

Strategic litigation Fund was established with the aim to provide the efficient legal assistance for victims of rights violation in cases, which have strategic importance. The strategic litigations are the cases that change legislation, administrative and judicial practice, or aimed at rights and freedoms defending regarding the particularly massive or abusive violations.

Legal assistance means the written and oral consultations, help with documents preparation, representation of interests of victims of human rights abuses in courts and state authority bodies, international institutes. The support also can be provided by means of other methods, for example, researches, organizing of massive peaceful events, mass media information spreading and the other kinds of human rights campaigning arrangements.

UHHRU can fully or partly cover the costs of legal assistance services, if they doesn’t provide free of charge. Victims of human rights violations or other persons may cover with solidarity such expenses.

The Fund works with accordance to the Regulation that you can find at: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?r=a1b9 (in Ukrainian). More information please find at: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?r=a2b5.

Particularly, the special Strategic Litigation Fond of human rights in the sphere of health protection worked in 2008.

Lemma Susarov, a Russian Federation national from Samoshky village, fled from the Chechen Republic to Azerbaijan at the end of 2005. In 2006 the UNHCR office in Baku declared him as refugee, issuing him with registration number 6030. Number 6032 was given to Ruslan Yeliyev from the same village. According to Lemma Susarov, the two men lived in the same flat in Baku. In the evening of 9 November 2006 Ruslan Yeliyev was abducted by unknown persons. Fearing for his life, Lemma Susarov fled to Ukraine.

But in Ukraine Susarov was detained by men in civilian clothes who he thinks were officers of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). According to his lawyer, Oleg Levytsky, a bag was thrust over his head and he was dragged away, being beaten and threatened with being handed over to be dealt with by an FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) Major. It was only in the evening that Susarov was taken to a police station where he was held without lawful grounds until 25 June (instead of the legally stipulated in Ukraine 72 hours).

In 2008 the Kyiv District Administrative Court admitted ineligibility of Prosecutor’s General Office decision about his extradition to the Russian Federation. The same time Prosecutor’s General Office abolished its previous order and released Lemma Susarov from detention. At the present time the defendant of UHHRU lives in Finland.

Detailed information on this case can be found at:
Human rights prevail in Lema Susarov case

Court decision over Lema Susarov adjourned

Amnesty International: no safe haven for refugees in Ukraine

“Green card” for Lemma Susarov?

Lawyer demands access to Chechen threatened with extradition to Russia

U.S. State Department - 2008 Human Rights Reports: Ukraine

The case of General-major of Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Savchenko

Three years ago Serhiy Savchenko sent his relatives from Iraq $47.5 thousand dollars. The money was discovered at customs and Savchenko was accused of smuggling. According to the law he had ten days for declaration filling in. He was not given this opportunity however, and a criminal investigation was immediately launched.

UHHRU took the case under its control and provided Mr Savchenko with a lawyer. The result was a second acquittal which left no grounds for doubt that he was innocent.

Materials on this case can be found at UHHRU web-site:

One woman appealed to UHHRU with information about the absurd situation that took place when her former husband, receiving large dividends from his profit corporative rights, paid miserable child maintenance (100 UAH per month). Lawyer of UHHRU and M’ART has established to satisfaction of the Supreme Court that dividends are the type of incomes, from which alimony must be recovered.

This case has a great importance for thousands of mothers in the similar situation, and for the further judicial practice in the category of such cases:

Supreme Court agrees with UHHRU lawyer on child maintenance

Case of Pashuk v. Ukraine

Woman, who works as a teacher, appealed to UHHRU. She complained about failure of consummated judicial decision concerning non-payment to her the outstanding money by the Department of Education of the Chernihiv City Council (supplementary payment for number of years served, as well as assistance towards health restoration).

The Department of Education informed the woman that according to the Article 2 of Law «On restructuring of debt on payments envisaged by Article 57 of the Law of Ukraine «On education» to educational, academic-educational and other categories of employees in educational institutions» such debts are paid from the State Budget of Ukraine. By the way, the letter stated that there wasn’t relevant receipt of funds to the local Budget.

After that, the state executor decreed about the determination of execution proceeding.

Pashuk approached the European Court of Human Rights. The UHHRU lawyer Ivan Tkach represented her interests there. The Court decision recognized the violations of Paragraph 1 of Article 6 of Convention and Article 1 of the First Protocol:

http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int////tkp197/viewhbkm.asp?action=open&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649&key=70943&sessionId=18882420&skin=hudoc-en&attachment=true

http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1154532718 (in Ukrainian)

5. 
   Informing about human rights violations
   

On July 30 2008 UHHRU held the round table dedicated to the presentation of the human rights organizations Report “Human Rights in Ukraine − 2007”. This even was supported by the Committee of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the National Commission on strengthening democracy and rule of law and with the participation of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. 35 organizations from most of Ukrainian regions were involved in the process of report creation, which UHHRU publish every year, the Report consists of 22 chapters, among which “The Right to Life”, “Freedom from torture and ill-treatment”, “The Right of access to information”, “The Right to a fair trial”, “Socio-economic rights” and other. Report contains the overview and analysis of the cases of rights and freedoms violations, evaluation of legislation changelings, and recommendation to the state authorities with aim of situation improvement. This Report is the main source for the assessment of situation with human rights in Ukraine.

In electronic format Report is available on the web-site of UHHRU

http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?r=a1b7c4 – in Ukrainian language (section:

“Annual human rights Reports”)

“Annual human rights Reports”)

Round table “Does right of access to information is observed in Ukraine?” was conducted on September 25. The main issues for discussion were: “Do journalists and citizens have the possibility to receive the information from state authorities?”, “If it is possible to receive the information about resonant criminal cases?”, “How to protect the own right to information?”

In the framework of round table, the Executive Director of UHHRU presented the results of UHHRU research in area of the access to information.

Portal UHHRU – is a powerful source for citizens informing. Reports of human rights organizations and international institutes, the materials on human rights regarding Ukraine of Council of Europe and UN Agencies and other information can be found on the site. Everyday actual Ukrainian and international human rights news also can be obtained from the site. Site is posted in Ukrainian, Russian and English languages.

Total amount of hosts per year – 130 701

Ukraine – 84,3% Russia – 2,4% Other – 13,3%

UHHRU doesn’t aside the alternative information technologies of society and journalists informing. On its blog UHHRU posts information about human rights violations, lodges the statements and appeals. 90 persons are the permanent blog readers.

Community was created by UHHRU for the discussion and ideas exchange by the all interested in human rights in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. 55 persons are the members of this community.

In 2008 UHHRU began to collect the videos about human rights abuses in Ukraine or other human rights events with the aim of spreading such information via mass media for the possible elimination of such violations as a evidence of violation in the court decisions, by state authorities and international organizations, diring the human rights video production, etc.

6. 
   Human rights education
   

In 2008 NGOs M’ART and International Renaissance Foundation were the main partners of the project. The main purpose of it is the knowledge spreading trough the active young people, the NGOs’ activists, journalists and teachers about the understanding of human rights and democratic values, the methods of its prosecution and promoting, the ways of intercultural understanding and the peaceful conflicts solution.

In the frameworks of the project, the possibilities for education of persons with disabilities are actively built. The principle of inclusive education is respected at the every level of planning (methodology, logistics, etc),

At the end of 2008 there was the network of graduates of the project educational measures (145 persons from 25 Ukrainian regions). Among them were 73 women and 72 men.

November 27 – March 6 – UHHRU run the first part of the school for human rights trainers. School participants improved their knowledge in the area of democratic processes and human rights, the methods of human rights teaching.

17 – 25 of March – the second part of school for human rights trainers was conducted.

5 – 13 of April – UHHRU held the human rights school for teachers.

23 – 26 of June – UHHRU provided the experts support for the seminar on issues of human rights conducting for the assistants on human rights of Minster of Interior.

28 of June – 6 of July – UHHRU held the school on human rights for teachers.

22 – 23 of July – the seminar “The initiatives and best practices of human rights education in Ukraine” was held in Chernihiv, organized by M’ART and UHHRU. During it the current programs of human rights education have being discussed and the further activity of public organizations in this sphere has being planned.

17 – 21 of July – UHHRU held the school on human rights for youth.

20 -28 of August - UHHRU held the school on human rights for youth.

The other events in the framework of human rights education

On January 16, in the framework of educational course on human rights for layers “The implementation of domestic and international mechanisms for human rights defence in strategic litigations” (Kharkiv), the representative of UHHRU delivered the lecture “Article 8 and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the context of Ukrainian legislation and administrative practice”.

The final session of the educational course for lawyers “The implementation of domestic and international mechanisms for human rights defence in strategic litigations” was held on April 23 – 26. During the course lawyers and jurists from all Ukrainian regions were in details familiarized with the European Court of Human Rights proceedings, and also with standards of applications acceptability, the Court practice, and practicalities of application developing, conditions of Court emergency procedure. The possibilities of using the different mechanisms of UN system were also reviewed. During the year participants of this school worked with personal tasks and received the opportunities to be involved to the work on cases in the framework of UHHRU Strategic Litigation Fund.

http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1209982671 (in Ukrainian)



In the photo: participants of the educational course for lawyers

On August 8^th the representatives of UHHRU run the training “Opportunities for the dialog between NGOs and state authorities, what can do civil society?” The event was held in the framework of the school “Public campaigns running and judicial protection of human rights”, which was organized by Belarusian Helsinki Committee and Chernihiv Civic Committee for Human Rights Protection.

In November UHHRU granted 7 books on legal issues of the total press near 2000 copies to the National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine with the aim of its distribution through the public libraries of Ukraine. These publications were also presented at the book exhibition indicated to human rights in Ukraine.

7. 
   Influence on the state human rights policy
   

5 representatives of the 4 UHHRU organizations-members participates in the work of Public Council for the observance of human rights under the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine – Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, the Institute “Republic”, Odessa human rights protection group “Veritas”, the Public organization “Donetsk Memorial”. The co-chair of the Council together with Minister of Interior is also Yevgen Zakharov, the Chair of Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group. UHHRU members also take part at the work of the public councils under the regional Departments of Ministry of Interior of Ukraine in Kyiv, Sevastopol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Odessa, Kirovograd, Kherson, Lviv, Crimea, Dnipropetrovs’k, Sumy, Luhansk.

Representatives of UHHRU encouraged the creation of the Department of monitoring of human rights observance under the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine, what should be noted as a positive factor (http://umdpl.info/index.php). The representatives of human rights public organizations compose 35 % of all secretary assistants of Minister of Interior of Ukraine. Minister assistants, who began to work in May of this year, accepted 2 700 citizens, examined 645 territorial sub-departments of internal affairs bodies, initiated 1233 agency audits upon the possible human rights violations, run more than 200 thematic seminars and trainings.

For the improvement of activity of the new created Department the representatives of UHHRU organized 5-days training in July of 2008 for the assistants of the minister of Interior of Department of regional control of Administration of the monitoring of human rights observance in the activity of internal affairs bodies of the Office of Minister of Interior of Ukraine.

Particularly it should be said about the work of mobile groups on human rights observance under the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine. Such groups are in every region. They are composed of internal affairs bodies’ officers and human rights defenders, among which there are UHHRU representatives. During 2008 they made 361 visits (the last year – 145). These figures are the evidence of attendance of every isolation ward of temporary detention in order of Ministry of Interior of Ukraine, has been already visited by the mobile group. It means the problems concerning conditions of detention and observance of human rights in such places are under the control as of the Department officers, the Minister assistants, so of human rights defenders, which are the part of mobile groups:

In particular, the Executive Director of UHHRU visited the city distribution centre for persons with no fixed abode and juvenile distributor in Kyiv in the framework of the Ministry of Interior mobile group activity at the end of 2008.

On January 16 the representative of UHHRU participated at the presentation of governmental program “Ukrainian Breakthrough – for People, not for Politicians”. The Program consists of the clear mechanisms and ways of socio-economic and political reforms implementation, the realization of cultural and international Ukrainian initiatives, and is the plan of actions for the coalition Government for the period of it powers exercise.

On April 9 the President of Ukraine ratified the Concept of criminal justice reforming in Ukraine. This Concept was developed by the National Commission on democracy strengthening and affirmation of the rule of law. Among them, the representatives of UHHRU also were involved in it developing. This document is a real revolutionary step on the road of criminal justice system of Ukraine reforming. It is the effort of the greatest scaled reform of the criminal justice. The Concept includes the reforming measures of all phases of the criminal process and it is based on the warranties of human rights and fundamental freedoms observance. It implementation will surely result in the better person’ safety from the state: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1207738224 (in Ukrainian)

On the May 7^th 2008 UHHRU in cooperation with the Civil Liberties Centre, Group “European Strategy”, Youth Human Rights Movement organized the all-Ukrainian conference “Civil actions against racism and xenophobia in the modern Ukraine”.

On the May 13^th the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union jointly with the other 8 human rights organizations rendered their submissions and recommendations for the report, presented by Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council. Executive Director Volodymyr Yavorskyy represented UHHRU at the Universal Periodic Review. As Yavorskyy reported, the Report and its discussion continued during 3 hours. More than 40 questions had been put to Ukrainian government. The particular attention of the arrangement participants was given to the following 3 units of issues:

• 
  lack of counteraction with discrimination, growth of xenophobia and hate motivated crimes;
  
• 
  tortures and ill-treatment of police and in the detention establishments;
  
• 
  independence of Ukrainian Ombudsperson and efficiency of Nina’s Karpachova activity.
  

http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1212165685

On December 16 UHHRU run the round table “The Ways of the Ukrainian Antidiscrimination Legislation Development”. During it the organization made public its own publications which compiled the UN agencies and Council of Europe recommendations concerning the counteraction the discrimination and xenophobia in Ukraine. There is also short review of the situation with implementation of the given recommendations in the books. Also specialists of Ukrainian Human Rights Union developed their own recommendation to state authorities, which were presented at the time of discussion.

http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1231068566 − book “UN Recommendations on overcoming discrimination in Ukraine” (in Ukrainian)

http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1231067772 − book “European Institutes Recommendations on overcoming discrimination in Ukraine” (in Ukrainian)

http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1231945008 – “Recommendations on overcoming discrimination in Ukraine from UHHRU”

UHHRU demand to fire out the Prosecutor General of Ukraine At the night from 28 to 29 July the Prosecutor General ordered the extradition of the Russian national Oleg Kuznetsov to the country, from what he has run away had the reasonable apprehensions of tortures, ill-treatments and other human rights abuses, and to whom Ukraine granted refugee status on March 5th 2008. By this action he put a slight on the Court judgment that confirmed the legitimacy and relevancy of the granting to Kuznetsov the refugee status on July 21. Therefore UHHRU publicized the open appeal urged the President and Parliament to retire Prosecutor General of Ukraine from his post: The Prosecutor General has overstepped domestic and international law. What next? - Open Appeal from the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union June 26 UHHRU carried out the picket of the Prosecutor General Office. Human rights defenders demanded the dismissal of prosecutor General because of his actions, which violate the international obligations of the state in the sphere of refugees’ rights protection. In particular regarding the extradition of refugee Kuznetsov to the Russian Federation despite the court decision. This Appeal resulted in the response with negation of committed violations from the Office of Prosecutor General: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1221467445 (in Ukrainian) To this response UHHRU answered by the Statement presented the concerns regarding the refugee extradition by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1217838754 Unfortunately, the President shared up the Prosecutor’s standing and reported the human rights defenders that in his point of view the refugee’s extradition was made on the legal grounds: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1220963810

On September 16 the representatives of UHHRU participated at the coordinative meeting on issued of counteracting xenophobia in Ukraine. It was organized by the IOM and UNHCR.

On September 20 UHHRU sent the Report of the UN Committee on Human Rights recommendations performance by Ukraine (follow up procedure).

On November 9 the draft of the new Criminal procedure Code of Ukraine was presented on the meeting of the National Commission on democracy strengthening and affirmation of the rule of law. Specialists of UHHRU were involved in it developing. At the presentation the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union was represented by the member of working group of the Code developing, the Board Chairman, Arkadiy Bushchenko.

UHHRU presented its recommendations in this sphere at the round table discussion with the representatives of civil society on the issues of challenges and counteracting the hate crimes. It was organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and public organizations.

On January 22 UHHRU sent an Open Appeal to the Ombudsperson on Human Rights of the Verhovna Rada of Ukraine Nina Karpachova and to the Prosecutor General’s Office regarding the small boy Ivan Keivan rights protection:

On 19 April 2008 Ukrainian Helsinki Union issued Open Appeal regarding the proposals to reinstate the death penalty in Ukraine. By those statement human rights defenders called Minister of Interior of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko to abandon a wrong idea of the death penalty returning: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1208587531 (in Ukrainian)

On 26 May the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union has issued a statement over the assault on the Coordinator of the Vinnytsa Human Rights Group: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1211804079

On June 11 UHHRU presented an Open appeal on Ukraine’s failure to comply with the Aarhus Convention for the participants of the Third Meeting of the Parties to Convention "On access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters”: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1213195555

On June 12 the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union has expressed concerned over the increasing trend by bodies of local self-government to take premises away from organizations working in human rights protection and the cultural sphere, those including libraries, houses cultural centres, bookshops, galleries and public organizations: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1213366170

On June 27 Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union run the press-conference “Human rights organization are for tortures prohibition”, devoted to the issues of Ukraine’s implementation of its international obligations behind which the national preventive mechanisms of tortures and ill-treatments use should be developed: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1214499770

On July 31 the UHHRU made the Open Statement concerning the illegality of extradition of the Russian national Oleg Kuznetsov, ordered by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1217414538

On August 12 the UHHRU issued the Open Appeal “Stop the military aggression!” with calls on the UN Security Council, OSCE, NATO, the Council of Europe, the European Union and other international bodies to impress upon the Russian authorities that the world will not allow such unwarranted aggression in Georgia: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1218574616

On December 10 the UHHRU identified the greatest enemies of human rights and awarded them Anti-prize “The Thistle of Year – 2008”: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1229084701

On December 16 the UHHRU run the press conference “Does discrimination exist in Ukraine?”: http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1229518813

UHHRU’s activity is often highlighted by the different mass media. Particularly the following publications and subjects among the many others saw the world in 2008:

“ZN” proposes the readers detailed research of the issue of human rights’ observance in the penitentiary places of Ukraine. Results and researches of the human rights organizations’ projects, materials of different seminars and conferences, publications in mass media, complaints and letters from the citizens became the main sources for research’s results generalization: http://www.helsinki.org.ua/index.php?id=1226673504 (In Ukrainian)

8. 
   Special projects
   

26 June is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. That day Ukrainian Helsinki Union held the dimensioned all-Ukrainian action “Against Torture”. Thematic round tables were organized by the members of UHHRU and for the first time in the history of Ukrainian human rights movement rights defenders went to the streets of Ukrainian cities with protest picket the Prosecutor’s Offices.

UHHRU assert that it receives information about torture and other kinds of ill-treatment in the custody and police stations every day. Use of torture still exists as a systematic phenomenon in Ukraine. The main reason of this is that Ukrainian courts have no any doubts accepting the confessions, extracted by means of beating, as real evidences. Also impunity furthers the practice of torture use: accidents of ill-treatment in custodies have been never investigated. “The facts have not been confirmed, it is denied in initiation of criminal case” – this is the most popular answer of the Prosecutor’s Office to the complaints of the victims or appeals of human rights organizations.

Human rights defenders once again demand to carry out swift and effective investigations into reports or complaints alleging torture and ill-treatment and to punish the guilty persons. Members of UHHRU sent the information about 90 cases regarding the undoubted use of torture to the Prosecutor’s General Office.

As a result of action holding were the responses from the national and regional Prosecutor’s General Offices. Some investigations have been started. Unfortunately, majority of answers were consisted of: “The evidences of use torture or ill-treatment have been no found. There are no causes for the Prosecutor’s operation”:

Don’t say you didn’t know - http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1214673585

Against torture - http://helsinki.org.ua/en/index.php?id=1214499770

In the framework of the Action thematic press conferences and protest pickets of Prosecutor’s Offices were held in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lviv, Luhansk and other cities of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union Anti-Prize gathers steam year after year and becomes the real instrument of public pressure on the human rights violations.

The purpose of this Anti-Prize is to attract attention of the society to the most flagrant human rights violation committed in Ukraine during the year and to inspire the public discussion concerning the dangerous for human rights trends in the national legal system.

The Information Agency “UNIAN” became the title media partner of the Anti-Prize. By means of that, the wide information campaign was carried out and the permanent public discussion of the nominees was being conducting. Even the Minister of Justice involved to the discussion: http://www.minjust.gov.ua/0/17300 (in Ukrainian)

Award winner this year became:

1. 
   The Prosecutor General of Ukraine Olexandr Medvedko at the nomination “For the most flagrant violation of human rights”.
   
2. 
   The President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko and the “BYuT” faction of Verhovna Rada at the nomination “For the politic interference into the justice fulfilment”.
   
3. 
   The People’s Deputy Hennadiy Moskal at the nominations “For the most dangerous legislative initiative in the area of human rights”, “For the calls for refugees’ and asylum seekers’ rights violation and hate speech”.
   
4. 
   Luhansk City Council at nomination “he closest by information self-government body”.
   

The organizers of Festival are the UHHRU and civic organization “Centre for Modern Information Technology and the Visual Arts”, since autumn of 2007 – Kherson Regional Fund of Health and Mercy and Kherson City Association of Journalists “South”.

In 2008 films from Georgia, Canada, USA, China, India, Israel, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine became the participants of the festival.

After the festival finishing in Kyiv, Docudays.UA travels on Ukraine during the next 5 months: Sevastopol, Chernihiv, Poltava, Sumy, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kryvyi Rih, Odessa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovs’k, Lviv. Films screened at the Docudays.UA cinema-club, high schools, cinemas, culture houses.

The International Renaissance Foundation

Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine

Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine

National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine

The “Democratic Grants Program” of the US Embassy in Ukraine

Black Sea Fund

Embassy of Russian Federation in Ukraine

Embassy of Israel in Ukraine

Polish Institute in Kyiv

Czech Centre in Kyiv

British Council in Ukraine

French Culture Centre in Ukraine

German Culture Centre “Gouthe Institute”