Editor’s Note: Experts say excessive pre-trial imprisonment is a major human-rights problem in Ukraine, where suspects can be jailed for up to 18 months before trial. The practice violates democratic principles that call for speedy, fair and public trials as well as the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. More than 40,000 people in Ukraine are imprisoned without trial. The Kyiv Post will keep track of this issue through this new feature called “Jailhouse Watch.”
Former Tymoshenko government officials in jail
Yuriy Lutsenko, former interior minister.
Arrested in December for alleged misappropriation of state assets.
Valeriy Ivashchenko, former acting defense minister.
Arrested in August on suspicion of abuse of office.
Viktor Bondar, former governor.
Temporarily arrested in December on suspicion of exceeding authority. Released but still under investigation.
Hyhoriy Filipchuk, former environment minister.
Arrested in December on suspicion of abuse of office.
Viktor Kolbun, former deputy pension fund board chairman.
Arrested in November on suspicion of exceeding authority.
Mykola Petrenko, director Ukrmedpostach.
Arrested in December on suspicion of abuse of office.
Tetyana Hrytsun, former state treasury deputy head.
Arrested in July on suspicion of abuse of office.
Mykola Sinkovskiy, former deputy head of the State Committee of Ukraine’s Government Material Reserve.
Arrested in April on suspicion of abuse of office.
Ex-Naftogaz, ex-customs officials in jail Former Naftogaz and State Customs officials have been jailed since last summer for their roles in ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s acquisition 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas from RosUkrEnergo. Naftogaz reportedly dropped the claim after Tymoshenko left power, allowing RosUkrEnergo to reclaim the gas.
Ihor Didenko, former deputy head of Naftogaz.
Arrested in July on suspicion of abuse of office.
Taras Shepitko, former deputy head of the Kyiv regional energy customs service office.
Arrested in July on suspicion of abuse of office.
Anatoliy Makarenko, former Customs Service head
Arrested in July on suspicion of abuse of office.
Party of Regions officials in jail
Tetyana Rud, head of the government’s price-control office.
Arrested in November on bribery charges.
Lyudmila Kachurova, former head of Kyiv City Administration health department.
Arrested in November on bribery charges.
Volodymyr Shcherbina, former Mayor of Alushta.
Arrested in October on suspicison of exceeding authority.
Bohdan Presner, former deputy environment minister.
Arrested in June on suspicion of bribery.
Tryzub members, charged with hooliganism (blowing up a bust of Josef Stalin in Zaporizhia on Dec. 31), in jail
Eduard Andriuschenko
Arrested in January
Roman Khmara
Arrested in January
Vasyl Labaychuk
Arrested in January
Artem Tsyhanok
Arrested in January
Ihor Zahrebelny
Arrested in January
Vitaliy Vyshniuk
Arrested in January
Vasyl Abramiv
Arrested in January
Yuriy Ponomarenko
Arrested in January
Viktor Davydenko
Arrested in January
Pylyp Taran
Arrested in January
Anatoliy Onufriychuk
Arrested in January
Andriy Stempitskiy
Arrested in January
Stepan Bychek
Arrested in January
Others in jail
U.S. citizen Robert Fletcher
arrested in November 2009 for alleged fraud
