Main points
- The Supreme Court upheld the 11-year sentence of former police officers Serhiy Sulima and Mykola Kuziv for torturing and raping a woman in Kaharlyk.
- The high-profile crime occurred in May 2020, after which the police station was disbanded and the police officers were suspended.
The verdict in the Kaharlyk torture case has become final / Photo by former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Anton Gerashchenko
The Supreme Court has finally upheld the conviction of former Kaharlyk police officers convicted of torturing and raping a woman, ending a high-profile case that has dragged on for more than five years.
At the time of the crime, the victim was raising a 4-year-old son with a disability, according to the victim's lawyer, Anna Kalinchuk.
What verdict did the court give?
The Supreme Court upheld the verdict of former police officers Serhiy Sulima and Mykola Kuziv, who were sentenced to 11 years in prison for torturing and raping a woman in Kaharlyk, Kyiv region.
As the victim's lawyer reported, after 5.5 years of struggle, the court finally confirmed the sentences for both defendants – without any changes.
In this case, I regret only one thing: the head of the Kaharlytskyi department managed to avoid responsibility for the practices of torture, kidnapping, and coercion of testimony, which, in my opinion, were tacitly tolerated or approved in this department,
– the victim's lawyer noted.
The Supreme Court's rulings are final and cannot be appealed.
What is known about the high-profile case?
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The high-profile crime occurred on the night of May 24, 2020. According to the investigation, law enforcement officers summoned the woman as a witness in a theft case, after which she was tortured at the police station: they put on a gas mask, handcuffed her, shot her over the head, and later raped her several times.
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The victim went to the hospital on her own and reported the crime. After the incident became public, the police officers were suspended and the unit itself was disbanded.
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At that time, the victim lived in the village of Stavy and was raising a 4-year-old child with a disability.
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In May 2023, the court of first instance sentenced both to 11 years in prison. Now, the Supreme Court has finally upheld this sentence.