Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office finds no violations of detention conditions

Responses received by a member of the United Civil Party, Anton Kastsou, from a number of government bodies say that an inspection failed to establish whether he was held in the same cell with the citizens previously convicted of criminal offences.

In particular, the letter from the Mahiliou Regional Prosecutor’s Office says that the register of isolation of individuals in the detention center of 26 to 29 December 2013 (when the activist was serving an administrative penalty) has been destroyed, as they should not be stored in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, nutrition registers, the journal of initial interview and registration of health care information do not reflect information on placing of inmates.

No footage of video surveillance system for the period from 26 to 29 December is available, as it is not supposed to be stored for a long period. The prosecutors interviewed a number of employees who could not confirm Kastsou’s stay in the same cell with previously convicted persons in the specified period of time.

Human rights defender Barys Bukhel called the answer a simple runaround reply, and the conditions of the temporary detention facility a complete mess.

“It is not true that they cannot determine with whom was Kastsou shared the cell. When administrative convicts are held in a cell, the state assumes responsibility for what is happening or might happen to them. Especially because the law prohibits holding criminals with ordinary citizens in the same cell, because this can cause anything, including new crimes,” says the human rights activist.

Anton Kastsou was a member of the community “Stop-Tax” in the social network VKontakte. He served a three-day administrative punishment in Mahiliou temporary detention center, after he was found guilty of organizing an unsanctioned rally in the city center. The protest calling to reverse the new tax on vehicles was attended by only a few motorists.