ANNUAL REPORT OF UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ON OBSERVANCE AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF CITIZENS OF UKRAINE 2019 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine In accordance with Article 18 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights,” hereby I submit to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the annual report for 2019 on the status of observance and protection of human rights and freedoms of citizens of Ukraine by public authorities, local self-government bodies, associations of citizens, enterprises, institutions, organizations irrespective of the form of ownership and their o!cials and employees who violated human rights and freedoms of citizens by their action or omission, as well as on the identi"ed de"ciencies in the law on protection of human rights and freedoms of citizens. Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova Kyiv, March 2020 In case of full or partial reproduction of this publication, the reference is required Electronic version: www.ombudsman.gov.ua CONTENTS 6 7 6 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS .............................................................................................................................................9 7 OPENING STATEMENT OF THE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS .................... 13 CHAPTER 1. OBSERVING SOCIAL RIGHTS ...............................................................................................17 1.1. Right to social protection .......................................................................................................................................... 20 1.2. Right to healthcare ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 1.3. Right to work .................................................................................................................................................................. 40 1.4. Right to education ....................................................................................................................................................... 46 1.5. Right to culture ............................................................................................................................................................. 50 CHAPTER 2. OBSERVING ECONOMIC RIGHTS .........................................................................................53 2.1. Right to housing ........................................................................................................................................................... 56 2.2. Consumer rights ........................................................................................................................................................... 58 2.3. Right to land ................................................................................................................................................................... 61 2.4. Right to a safe environment ..................................................................................................................................... 63 2.5. Right to entrepreneurship ........................................................................................................................................ 66 CHAPTER 3. OBSERVING THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD .............................................................................69 3.1. Rights of the child in alternative care system .................................................................................................... 71 3.2. Right of the child and family in the context of decentralization ................................................................. 76 3.3. Right of the child in the context of an armed con!ict .................................................................................... 83 3.4. Counterring bullying and observing the right of the child on the Internet ........................................... 86 CHAPTER 4. OBSERVING THE RIGHTS OF MILITARY SERVANTS, POLICE OFFICERS, RETIREES OF MILITARY SERVICE, VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS .......................................89 4.1. Rights of military servants ......................................................................................................................................... 91 4.2. Rights of Ukrainian military servants in captivity ............................................................................................. 95 4.3. Gender issues in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations and law enforcement agencies ....................................................................................................................................... 99 4.4. Rights of persons receiving a pension in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Pensions to Persons Released from Military Service and Certain Other Persons,” as well as of war and service veterans ........................................................................................................................100 CHAPTER 5. OBSERVING RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS OF PERSONS WHO SUFFERED TEMPORARY OCCUPATION AND ARMED CONFLICT ...................................................................................................103 5.1. Right of con!ict-a"ected civilians to social protection ................................................................................105 5.2. Restitution. Right to housing and compensation for property/material damage to civilians a"ected by armed con!ict ........................................................................................................................111 5.3. Rights of citizens of Ukraine living in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol ...............................................................114 5.4. Right of citizens of Ukraine living in the temporarily occupied territories to freedom of movement .......................................................................................................................................................................119 8 CHAPTER 6. COMPLIANCE WITH THE RULE OF LAW IN THE EXERCISE OF JUSTICE ...........................121 9 6.1. Rights of participants in criminal proceedings during detention, arrest, investigation ...................123 6.2. Right to timely consideration of a criminal case by a court ........................................................................129 6.3. Right to timely execution of a court decision ..................................................................................................132 CHAPTER 7. OBSERVING THE RIGHT NOT TO BE SUBJECTED TO TORTURE OR TO CRUEL, INHUMAN OR DEGRADING TREATMENT OR PUNISHMENT .................................................................135 7.1. Right to protection from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment ...........138 7.2. Right to liberty and security of person ...............................................................................................................143 7.3. Right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, clothing and housing ............147 7.4. Right to health care and medical assistance ....................................................................................................154 7.5. Right to professional legal aid ...............................................................................................................................159 CHAPTER 8. OBSERVING THE RIGHTS OF UKRAINIAN CITIZENS WHO ARE IN PLACES OF NON-FREEDOM ABROAD AND IN THE TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORY ..............................163 8.1. Rights of citizens of Ukraine prosecuted by the Russian Federation on baseless and politically motivated charges ................................................................................................................................166 8.2. Rights of citizens of Ukraine who are in penitentiary institutions abroad ............................................171 8.3. Rights of citizens of Ukraine held in places of detention in the temporarily occupied territories ...........................................................................................................................................................175 SECTION 9. OBSERVANCE OF THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION AND TO PETITION STATE BODIES .......177 9.1. Right to information ..................................................................................................................................................179 9.2. Right to petition ..........................................................................................................................................................186 SECTION 10. OBSERVANCE OF THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY .......................................................................191 10.1. Right to protection of personal data ................................................................................................................194 10.2. Right to access one’s own personal data .........................................................................................................199 10.3. Observance of the right to privacy by the controllers of personal data ..............................................200 SECTION 11. COMPLIANCE WITH THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION ....................................203 11.1. Combating discrimination on