They hit him on the head with an oar and tried to drown him: Lubinets reacted to the scandal involving border guards on the Dniester

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets responded to reports of the possible beating of a 49-year-old Ukrainian man while he was attempting to swim across the Dniester to Moldova. The ombudsman has already contacted the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine to clarify the circumstances of the incident and verify the legality of the actions of its employees, UNN reports, citing Lubinets's official Telegram channel.

The injured man, for his part, claims that two Ukrainian border guards hit him on the head with an oar and tried to drown him.

Details

According to information published in the media, the injured man is a 49-year-old resident of Kyiv who was hospitalized after an incident involving Ukrainian border guards. The man said that he had attempted to swim across the Dniester near the village of Holosnytsia in Moldova's Soroca District. According to him, while attempting to reach the opposite bank, he was allegedly attacked by two Ukrainian border guards. He claims that the border guards hit him on the head with an oar and tried to drown him to prevent him from entering the territory of the neighboring state.

There is currently no official confirmation of these allegations. The circumstances of the incident, including the reasons for and nature of the use of force, have yet to be established.

Dmytro Lubinets  for his part admitted that he was shocked by the reports in the media. In his view, such cases cannot be ignored, since they concern both a possible violation of an individual's rights and citizens' trust in state institutions.

"Ignoring such signals during a full-scale invasion means gambling with society's trust, and state institutions must not hide behind silence. What is needed is not speculation, but clear answers, the establishment of all the circumstances, and an appropriate response," the ombudsman stressed.

He also noted that an objective investigation is important for preserving the authority of the Border Guard Service and its employees, who perform their duties to protect the state border every day.

Did the border guards have the right to use force

Lubinets recalled that Ukrainian legislation allows border guards to use physical force, special equipment, and even weapons. However, they may do so only in cases provided for by law. According to the ombudsman, this is precisely why it is necessary to establish what happened during the man's detention, whether there were grounds for using force, and whether the State Border Guard Service employees exceeded their powers.

Even if a person is attempting to cross the state border illegally, this does not give law enforcement officers unlimited authority to use force against them. Each such action must be justified and correspond to the specific circumstances.

Lubinets contacted the State Border Guard Service

After information emerged about the possible beating of the Ukrainian man, the ombudsman sent a letter of response to the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine requesting that an internal investigation be conducted. Lubinets expects the official response to help establish the circumstances of the incident, verify the information disseminated by the media, and determine whether additional response measures are needed. 

"If these allegations are confirmed, the situation will require a thorough investigation and an appropriate legal assessment. No circumstances can justify violence, and the actions of state representatives must be lawful and proportionate," Lubinets said.

In the ombudsman's view, respect for human dignity and accountability for possible abuses of power are necessary conditions for society's trust in the state.

Let us recall 

Earlier, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets commented on an incident in Odesa involving representatives of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center. At the time, patrol officers in Odesa broke a driver's arm.