Ukraine's Security Service, UN Agree to Monitor Pre-Trial Detention Centers

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) agreed with the United Nations to set up a joint group to monitor the conditions in the Ukrainian pre-trail detention centers, SBU head Vasyl Hrytsak said Monday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — This step is being taken in order to prevent any accusations in human rights violations carried out in the centers.

"I want to tell you that we had a meeting with Mr. [UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan] Simonovic last week and had quite a constructive conversation, agreed on further cooperation, and to create a joint group, which will deal with these kind of nuances practically online to prevent similar charges against Ukraine," Hrytsak told journalists after visiting a pre-trail detention center in Kiev.

The visitors concluded that the center in Kiev they examined had only household issues. Mainly people accused of cooperation with the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed republics are held there.

On Friday, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) published its 14th report covering the period from February 16 to May 15, 2016. Presenting the report, Simonovic said that the SBU was responsible for hundreds of illegal detentions and tortures.

The UN official also noted that Kiev’s systematic disregard for human rights needed to be urgently addressed.