A court in the Zakarpattia region has made a significant ruling, marking the first instance where a military recruitment center employee was found guilty of obstructing the activities of an Ombudsman representative during an inspection.
The Uzhhorod City District Court determined that access to facilities and necessary information was denied to the Ombudsman’s representatives during their monitoring visit.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets noted that such incidents are not isolated and occur across various regions. He stated, “This includes denial of access to premises, failure to provide information, and attempts to block visits, particularly by certain military recruitment centers and local authorities. These actions directly affect the ability to protect human rights and complicate the execution of our mandate.”
Lubinets emphasized that there were attempts to conceal serious violations during the inspection in Zakarpattia, including potential unlawful detention of individuals and the use of metal handcuffs, which may indicate inhumane treatment.
“We not only documented these facts during the inspection but also demonstrated that attempts to restrict access and conceal information from the Ombudsman’s Office are unlawful. This serves as a clear signal that parliamentary oversight cannot be obstructed, and such actions will have legal consequences,”
he stated.
He added that materials concerning potential violations have already been forwarded to law enforcement agencies.
The Ombudsman indicated that all instances of obstruction to his activities will be personally monitored and assessed legally. “We consistently pursue these cases to a conclusion, and we already have examples where this has been confirmed by court rulings. This is about a simple and fundamental principle: the law must apply equally to all,”
he concluded.
In a related incident, a recent altercation occurred in the village of Strumivka near Lutsk, involving a military recruitment center employee and a civilian. The military personnel allegedly threatened to shoot and subsequently pushed a man, who was wanted by the authorities, off a roof, resulting in both individuals falling.
A court in Zakarpattia has ruled against a military recruitment center for obstructing an Ombudsman inspection, highlighting systemic issues in access to human rights oversight. The Ombudsman has committed to pursuing legal action against such obstructions.