Editor's note: On 6 June, an inmate at the Kropyvnytskyi penal colony died of COVID-19. The ombudsman stated that sanitary measures had not been observed at the facility.
On 11 March, the Ukrainian government announced a nationwide quarantine, and at the same time its Ministry of Justice changed the rules governing the work of pre-trial detention centres and prison colonies. Meetings with families were banned (video links were permitted) and both staff and inmates had to take their temperatures daily and accept mail and parcels only from people wearing masks and gloves (which were to be disinfected and left in a separate building for 24 hours), whilst cell blocks and canteens were to be disinfected every three hours.
Prisoners, meanwhile were only allowed out into exercise areas with their cellmates. The Ministry also restricted work trips by Penal Service staff and the movement of inmates (other than for urgent medical needs), and also moved court proceedings to video as well isolating new arrivals in separate blocks for two weeks.
The experts are assuring people that all these new arrangements are being complied with, despite the fact that two urgent amnesty bills, including one affecting prisoners in the highest health risk group have been lying around in parliament unexamined for two months.
