The ex-head of the colony where convicts were tortured received almost 400 thousand in bonuses

The ex-head of Bozhkovskaya correctional colony No. 16, Oleg Burmas, also receives a pension in the amount of UAH 29,639.62.

The former head of the Bozhkovsky colony in the Poltava region, after facts of torture of prisoners were revealed, received almost 400 thousand hryvnia as a bonus and the maximum level of pension.

This was announced by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmitry Lubinets.

According to the Ukrainian Ombudsman, when studying the documentation, they discovered that in July 2023, the head of the colony achieved dismissal at his own request during an internal investigation.

From December 2019 to July 2023, Bozhkovskaya correctional colony No. 16 was headed by Oleg Burmas.

At the same time, he was provided with bonuses in the amount of 400% of his official salary “for special achievements in work” and other payments totaling almost 400 thousand hryvnia.

In December, the ex-manager was able to obtain a decision to set his maximum pension level.

From July 25, 2023, he was accrued a long-service pension in the amount of UAH 29,639.62.

Direct speech from Lubinets:

“The State Bureau of Investigation must determine why, after established systematic violations and facts of torture and beating of convicts, the leadership of DCAF of Ukraine decided to baselessly and illegally accrue 400% of the manager’s bonus.”

In May 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation reported the revelation of numerous cases of torture of prisoners in a number of regions of Ukraine. The suspicion was reported to four officials from the Bozhkovskaya correctional colony No. 16 in the Poltava region.

According to the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement officials have exposed numerous cases of torture of prisoners in a number of regions of Ukraine. Suspicion has now been reported to four officials of the State Institution “Bozhkovskaya Correctional Colony (No. 16)”, which is located in the village of Bozhkovskoye, Novoselovskaya community, Poltava region.

During the investigation, numerous facts of bullying and beating of convicts who were serving their sentences in colonies were exposed. Investigators found that the victims of the colony workers were almost everyone who was sent to a penitentiary institution. The process of identifying persons who have become victims of torture is currently underway.

Newly arrived prisoners of the Bozhkovskaya colony were threatened with settlement among the “rejected as a whole” prisoners and were beaten until they broke their will and were forced to unquestioningly carry out any instructions. Now, in particular, information about the facts of the death of one of the prisoners from beatings is being verified.

Investigators established that from the moment of arrival at the colony, each of the convicts underwent a strict reception procedure, during which newly arrived convicts were forced to clean the floor, filming the said process on a video camera. And if a person refused, torture was applied to him: they beat him with their hands, feet, rubber truncheons, sticks in different parts of the body, twisted his arms, and the like.

Among other things, for example, the fact of inflicting more than 200 blows on one of the convicts was documented. Also, the investigation has video files that record the moment of infliction of grievous bodily harm on one of the newly arrived prisoners of the Bozhkovskaya correctional colony. An examination of the video confirmed its authenticity, and the video was added to the production materials as one of the proofs of the illegal actions of the colony workers.

According to the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office, in particular, in February 2022, the fact of torture of a convicted person for almost one hour was documented. All this was accompanied by constant psychological pressure in order to break a person’s will and force him to unquestioningly follow any instructions. The investigation into this fact began in January 2023. In order to identify the persons involved, a number of procedural actions were carried out, and 10 examinations were appointed.

The materials also contain other facts of torture in this and other correctional institutions, which are now the subject of research.

Now four officials of the State Institution “Bozhkov Correctional Colony (No. 16)” have been informed of suspicion of torture – Part 2 of Article 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (as amended by the article before amendments were made by Law No. 2812 of December 1, 2022). The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of up to 10 years.

In addition, investigative actions were carried out at the office of the North-Eastern Interregional Department for the Execution of Punishments of the Main Directorate for the Execution of Punishments and at the head of this institution. In addition to information about the possible organization of a system of extortion and bullying in subordinate institutions for the execution of criminal penalties, the reasons for receiving private property by him, which significantly exceeds his official income, are also checked. We are talking about numerous apartments, office space and luxury cars.

The website of the public organization “Protection of Prisoners of Ukraine” states that Bozhkovskaya colony No. 16 is a minimum security institution for men serving their sentences for the first time for minor crimes. The planned capacity of the colony is 496 beds. In January 2022, the facility housed 305 people, and in February 2023 – 355 people.

As Oleg Tsvily, a member of the public council of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and chairman of the Alliance of Ukrainian Unity NGO, noted, not only the perpetrators - inspectors, but also those who gave the order to do this and profit from the convicts should be held accountable for these crimes. According to Oleg Tsvily, responsibility should be borne directly by the head of the Pinichno-Eastern Interregional Department for the Execution of Criminal Sentences Georgy Romanov, Alexander Krikushenko, who retired, as well as other officials, including Minister of Justice Denis Malyuska.

Minister Malyuska tried to justify murderers and sadists.

On his Facebook, he left a message that he learned about the beating of prisoners in the Bozhkovskaya colony about a year ago.

Malyuska also tried to explain the logic of the actions of the colony employees: supposedly they were trying to overcome the criminal hierarchy: “...criminals in high positions in the hierarchy do not work and are afraid of losing their status if they start working. They beat them so that they would take the mop and start cleaning...”