The Council of Europe continues to support the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) through training human rights inspectors that helps improve their work with the "Custody Records" system. This complex system, among other things, implies electronic recording of all actions with detainees and helps prevent ill-treatment of persons under the state control.
On 14-15 November 2024 in Truskavets, Lviv region, 30 NPU human rights inspectors from 21 regions of Ukraine underwent tailored training aimed at deepening their knowledge of human rights standards, guarantees of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on prohibition of torture and right to freedom. During the training participants also discussed practical aspects and challenges in the operation of the "Custody Records" system, worked on relevant cases of the European Court of Human Rights and improved communication skills with detainees and community representatives.
"This training was practical to maximum possible extent. For the first time I can say that we embraced the concept of "human rights in action". We thank the Council of Europe for the opportunity to learn together with colleagues from different regions, for changing attitudes to certain issues, for providing a platform for open discussion of problematic and relevant issues for our daily work. All this will help us promote the observance of human rights in Ukraine," – Mrs. Anyuta Grubnik, human rights inspector of the Police Department № 1 of the Bogodukhiv District Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine in Kharkiv region.
During two days the inspectors and Council of Europe experts discussed the following issues:
- Human rights protection standards through the prism of the articles of the ECHR;
- Mechanism of ECHR action, practical implementation of rights, standards and guarantees;
- The right to personal integrity and prohibition of torture – relevant elements in the context of human rights inspectors’ work;
- Mission and role of human rights inspectors within the human rights protection system. Practical aspects of implementation of human rights inspectors’ tasks;
- Separate elements of the ECHR standards relevant to the work of human rights inspectors: the right to counsel, the right to information, the right to medical assistance.
The training of human rights inspectors and the development of "Custody Records" system is one of the components of supporting Ukraine's efforts to overcome the systemic problem of torture in the law enforcement sphere within the framework of the Council of Europe project "Strengthening Ukrainian Law Enforcement Agencies During War and Post-War Period".
