Case of Piatro Kuchura proves low professional level of employees of Investigations Committee

The refusal to initiate a criminal investigation into the torture of the convict of the penal colony N. 15 Piatro Kuchura with chlorine has been abolished by the prosecutor's office. This is the fourth ruling of the notorious investigator Skavarodkin, abolished by the prosecutor's office.

Another decision not to institute criminal proceedings, signed by the senior investigator of the Mahiliou interdistrict department of the Investigations Committee P. Skavarodkin, sent to Liudmila Kuchura by husband, is dated September 29, 2014. This document traditionally states reports that "the facts have not been confirmed and the actions of the administration of the PC-15 in Mahiliou do not constitute a criminal offense under Art. 426 of the Criminal Code".

"In this ruling the investigator again writes that there is no use to conduct any examination because, as I understand it, he believes that much time has passed. Although I have a question about it: was asked for conducting this examination back on November 5, 2013. For six months we were getting refusals, after which they suddenly decided to appoint the examination: in fact, only rulings for the appointment of the examination were issued, but the examination, including a medical examination of my husband, wasn't conducted. They studied only the medical records. Why hasn't been Piatro Kuchura examined? For some reason, the Mahiliou inter-district department of the Investigations Committee evades from answering this question,” says Liudmila Kuchura.

One can already make a chronicle from such regulations of the investigator and their subsequent abolishments by the prosecutor's office. May 27, 2014, Liudmila Kuchura's complaint concerning the unlawful actions of the administration of the PC-15 in Mahiliou was received by the Mahiliou inter-district department of the Investigations Committee from the regional prosecutor's office.

After this:

June 27, 2014 Mahiliou inter-district department of the IC decided to not to instigate a criminal case on the fact of torture;

July 22, 2014 the Mahiliou prosecutor abolished the ruling and forwarded the case for further examination;

August 25, 2014 Mahiliou inter-district department of the IC decided to not to instigate a criminal case on the fact of torture;

August 28, 2014 the Mahiliou prosecutor abolished the ruling and forwarded the case for further examination;

September 8, 2014 Mahiliou inter-district department of the IC decided to not to instigate a criminal case on the fact of torture;

September 16, 2014 the Mahiliou prosecutor abolished the ruling and forwarded the case for further examination;

September 29, 2014 Mahiliou inter-district department of the IC decided to not to instigate a criminal case on the fact of torture.

November 5 Liudmila Kuchura learned that the latest ruling of the investigator Skavarodkin has also been abolished by the city prosecutor.

"In my opinion, this indicates that laymen, ignorant people work at the Investigations Committee. My question is: by what criteria are they employed there? Looking at this my correspondence with the Investigations Committee of the Mahiliou region, it is hard to imagine how any crimes are disclosed at all. In my case it turns out that the Investigation Committee open conceals the crime committed by the PC-15 in Mahiliou. This proves the unsatisfactory quality of work of the committee. How can I trust the results of their work, when four their rulings get canceled one after another? And why the visit of our lawyer to Mahiliou, greatly upset the investigator Skavarodkin, to put it mild?” asks Liudmila Kuchura, commenting on this fact.

Despite the present inability to break the vicious circle of Skavarodkin's rulings and their subsequent terminations by the prosecutor, Liudmila Kuchura is not going to surrender. "It is very difficult for the relatives of a convict to get anything. I think that my husband is not the first and not the last person subjected to tortures with chlorine, but few such cases have been announced publicly. As my correspondence with the authorities shows, here one needs to have a great patience and insistence, whereas people often give up. However, I believe that such cases need to be given publicity and the justice must be restored. I think that I need to do it, because my actions may stop the use of torture in respect to other prisoners. It is a terrible mockery, as a result of which people get out of prison with poor health. There are also cases of lethal poisoning of convicts with chlorine.”

Liudmila Kuchura states that she will continue seeking acquaintance with materials of the examination, which are carefully concealed by the investigating authority. She does not lose hope that the officials who have committed crimes will eventually be punished.