Two so-called rehabilitation centres in Kharkiv have been exposed for illegally detaining people
In Kharkiv, law enforcement officers have shut down two so-called rehabilitation centres where, according to the investigation, people with drug and alcohol addictions, as well as those facing difficult life circumstances, were being held illegally.
Under the procedural supervision of the Slobidskyi District Prosecutor’s Office, searches were carried out at two private houses in the Slobidskyi and Saltivskyi districts, resulting in the release of people who, according to the investigation, were being held against their will.
The investigation established that the network had been operating for around five years under the guise of a charitable organisation that purportedly helped people with addictions. Between 20 and 60 people were held in each house at any one time. New ‘patients’ were sought amongst people with addictions and those facing difficult life circumstances. Their relatives were promised treatment, for which fees ranging from 5,000 to 25,000 hryvnias were charged each month.
According to the investigation, no medical or psychological assistance was provided to the residents. Their documents, mobile phones and money were confiscated. The buildings were barred and locked, and the detainees were forced to work for free and study religious texts. They were threatened and subjected to psychological pressure if they disobeyed.
According to the investigation, the organiser ran the network’s operations, two of his accomplices supervised the detainees, and three others were former ‘patients’ who had become guards.
The six Kharkiv residents have been notified that they are suspected of the unlawful deprivation of liberty of two or more persons, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert, under Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The prosecution will ask the court to impose a preventive measure in the form of remand in custody.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court verdict.
