The State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine has denied allegations made by the defense team of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko that the conditions of her detention in Kachanivska Penal Colony No. 54 in Kharkiv are poor.
"At a briefing today, representatives of Yulia Tymoshenko’s defense team described the conditions of her detention as terrible. This allegation by no means reflects reality," the State Penitentiary Service said in a statement.
The service said that Tymoshenko lives in a 37.5-square-meter prison cell, together with another convict.
"The cell meets all of the European requirements and standards of detention, and it is equipped with modern appliances, a TV set, a microwave oven, and a refrigerator. There is a separate room for cooking, a bathroom with a shower enclosure and washing machine, a toilet, and a bidet," reads the report.
As for video surveillance in Tymoshenko’s prison cell, the State Penitentiary Service officially stated that in order to ensure personal safety and constant supervision in accordance with Article 7 of the Ukrainian law on imprisonment and meet state building standards for detention facilities, all prison cells had been equipped with video surveillance cameras and sleep-mode lighting.
The pictures of prison cells at the Kachanivska penal colony have been posted on the Web site of the State Penitentiary Service.
