The Supreme Court has issued a final verdict in the case of the rape of a woman by law enforcement officers in Kaharlyk. The sentence of 11 years in prison remains in effect.
This was reported by lawyer Anna Kalinchuk.
In a comment to Suspilny, she said that this is already a final court decision, there should be no additional court hearings, since the Supreme Court is the last instance of Ukrainian jurisdiction. Two defendants received 11 years in prison: the rapist and his boss, the head of the criminal police department.
“They had 11 years from the very beginning, and 11 years remain. All that remains is for the state of Ukraine to pay the victim moral compensation for the crime committed by law enforcement officers. Because according to the law of Ukraine, if a crime against Ukraine was committed by a representative of state bodies, that is, a police officer, for example, he does not pay out of his own pocket, the state pays for it. We have clearly achieved justice in this case, we have won in all courts of all instances. The decision has stood, and those convicted are already serving their sentences accordingly,” Kalinchuk noted.
The Prosecutor General's Office clarified that two former employees of the Kaharlytskyi police department were found guilty of torture, enforced disappearance, and rape. In May 2023, the convicts were sentenced to 11 years in prison.
What is known about the investigation into the rape case at the Kaharlyk police station?
On May 25, 2020, the internal security of the National Police detained two officers of the Kaharlytskyi police department, who were suspected of raping and beating a 26-year-old woman. According to the investigation, the police tortured the woman, who was summoned to the police station as a witness. In particular, they put a gas mask on her, handcuffed her and shot her over the head with a service weapon, raped her several times. After the incident became public, both law enforcement officers were dismissed from the authorities.
The State Bureau of Investigation reported that detective Serhiy Sulima is suspected of rape committed by a group of persons (Part 3 of Article 152 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The head of one of the sectors of the Kaharlytskyi Special Police Department, Mykola Kuziv, is suspected of complicity in rape committed by a group of persons and abuse of power or official authority by a law enforcement officer, accompanied by violence (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 152, Part 2 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Later, the investigation changed the qualification of the case against the police officers.
In July 2020, two more officers of the Kaharlytskyi police department were reported under suspicion. In addition, the State Bureau of Investigation revealed new facts of torture of detainees at the district department.
In December 2020, the State Bureau of Investigation announced the completion of the investigation. Four officers of the Kaharlytskyi police department were charged with torture, kidnapping, and rape. The former head of this police department, Serhiy Panasenko, was also suspected. He was accused of failing to take action after receiving information about the crime.
The Obukhiv District Court sentenced two police officers to 11 years in prison for rape and torture at the Kaharlyk police station. The Kyiv Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in the case.