ZMINA joins World Organisation Against Torture OMCT

Human Rights Centre ZMINA became a member of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) – the world’s largest coalition of non-governmental organizations fighting against arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and other forms of violence. 

ZMINA has extensive experience in the fight against torture. Currently, the organization documents cases of torture committed by the Russian occupiers within the scope of the activity of Ukraine 5AM Coalition: experts go to the ground, visit torture chambers in the de-occupied territories, talk to witnesses and victims. 

In particular, during one of the field missions, the organization’s representatives visited the villages of Bucha district of Kyiv region, where they recorded stories how the Russians used civilians as “human shields”, shot evacuation convoys, tortured people who had their hands tied, and raped people. Also, in January-February 2023, ZMINA, together with the OMCT, organized a trip to the de-occupied areas of Kharkiv region to document torture and ill-treatment of civilians. 

To date, ZMINA has documented more than 300 cases of torture and ill-treatment under the Berkeley Protocol and conducted more than 45 in-depth interviews with victims and witnesses in the de-occupied communities of Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Kherson regions. 

Based on the collected information, the reports “Torture and ill-treatment of civilian population in Ukrainian territories that were under Russian occupation” and “‘Women’s cells’ of Kherson torture chamber: analytical report based on the testimonies of detainees” on cases of torture, circumstances, and reasons for detention, categories of the population which became the target of the Russian invaders, the places of detention of the victims, and the methods of torture were published. 

Subsequently, these reports were presented at national and international platforms, in particular at the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting, where ZMINA together with the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), and the Human Rights House Foundation held a special event entitled “Tortures in the Occupied Territories of Ukraine as Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes: Analysis and Survivors’ Testimonies”. 

ZMINA, MIHR, and OMCT submitted the information on the systematic torture of Ukrainian citizens in territories controlled by the Russian military to UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards, as well as a joint report on torture and enforced disappearances in Russian-controlled territories of Ukraine to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Russia. The document is based on 57 in-depth interviews with civilians who were victims and witnesses of torture and ill-treatment. 

In addition, in June 2023, ZMINA published the research on enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of active citizens during the full-scale Russian armed aggression against Ukraine. 

Also, ZMINA joined the thematic report of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on the topic “New technologies and enforced disappearances”. The organization’s experts analyzed trends in documented cases of enforced disappearances in the occupied territories and found an important connection between these war crimes and new technologies. 

Together with the OMCT, ZMINA makes efforts to teach the standards of documentation of torture and other serious war crimes. Thus, in January 2023, in Kyiv, organizations conducted training on documenting cases of torture and working with victims of war crimes for members of Ukraine 5AM Coalition members. 

ZMINA also monitors the situation of politically motivated detentions of human rights defenders, activists and journalists who were tortured, and disseminates relevant information by making statements, promoting their release, and providing the necessary medical assistance. 

Since 2012, ZMINA has been involved in the launch and development of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) in Ukraine – an independent body aimed at regular monitoring of custodial settings to prevent ill-treatment. 

In particular, the organization took an active part in the campaign regarding the inadmissibility of torture in custodial settings, as well as in the development of a mechanism and planning of visits, training of NPM monitors. 

The organization participates in the activities of the Advisory Council of the National Preventive Mechanism under the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and three employees of Human Rights Centre ZMINA are certified monitors who participate in regular visits to custodial settings. Monitoring visits contributed to the prevention of torture and the improvement of the conditions of people in hundreds of prisons, detention centers, psychiatric hospitals, residential care facilities, and other custodial settings. 

“Since our organization was founded, one of its priorities has been the fight against torture and ill-treatment. We have been engaged in this work for ten years and are glad to join the largest global anti-torture coalition OMCT, which has more than 200 members worldwide, fights torture, helps victims, and protects human rights defenders,” said Head of Human Rights Centre ZMINA Tetiana Pechonchyk, “We plan to support the best intentions and initiatives of the network’s member organizations and promote common positions and values in the name of humanity and the fight against torture and ill-treatment.”