new cases of alleged torture and 1,918 of individuals for domestic violence from alleged abuse of authority by law January to June. enforcement officers, from January to In July, a new law was enacted, which December, resulting in 51 individuals being removed the legal obstacles that had charged with relevant crimes. effectively exempted military personnel and In January, two young men were assaulted police officers from administrative and in Zhytomyr Region by a mob who accused criminal prosecution for domestic violence; it them of car theft. A police officer arrived at also strengthened the provisions the scene and joined the assailants, underpinning emergency protection orders. subjecting one of the victims to a mock The law extended to six months the statute of execution with his pistol. In July, prosecutors limitation for domestic violence as an submitted to court charges of torture against administrative offence, and introduced new the police officer and three other persons; penalties including compulsory labour and another police officer was charged with false detention for up to 10 days. testimony. However, an investigation into allegations by In March, the PGO reported that the Lieutenant Valeria Sikal – who in 2018 was European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) the first Ukrainian ex-servicewoman to report had to date ruled in the applicants’ favour, sexual harassment by a commanding officer and against Ukraine, in 115 cases regarding in the Armed Forces – was ineffective, and conditions of detention amounting to torture further delayed by its referral to the State or other ill-treatment, of which 71 under the Investigation Bureau of Khmelnitsky Region supervision of the Committee of Ministers of where no further investigative activities took the Council of Europe remained place. unaddressed; 120 cases were awaiting a decision. LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS In May, in the case of Debelyy and Others v. A draft bill tabled in parliament in May Ukraine, the ECtHR found that police in proposed expanding the definition of hate Ukraine had subjected the three applicants – crimes to cover those motivated by sexual Andrey Debelyy, Roman Korolev, and orientation and gender identity. However, Oleksandr Rafalsky – to inhuman and homophobic attacks by groups advocating degrading treatment. discrimination and violence continued GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE throughout the year with the perpetrators rarely held accountable. Gender-based violence and discrimination – In March, four individuals daubed the particularly against women – and domestic community centre of the NGO Sphere with violence remained widespread. Support mud; in August, the centre’s façade was services for the survivors as well as legislative vandalized with homophobic graffiti. and policy measures intended to combat At least four such attacks took place in May domestic violence, although improved in alone. On 27 May, a mob smashed the recent years, remained insufficient. No window of the venue where the KyivPride progress was made in ratification of the group had organized a film screening, and Council of Europe Convention on combating threw a flare and a gas canister inside. Police and preventing violence against women and opened a criminal investigation into domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). “hooliganism” but failed to qualify the From January to December, the authorities incident as hate crime. opened 2,432 criminal investigations into On 29 May, a mob attacked the community domestic violence, designated 2,176 centre of the LGBTI group Insight in the individuals criminal suspects and submitted capital, Kyiv. The same day in Odessa, a mob 2,136 cases to court. Administrative disrupted and ended a feminist lecture by proceedings were opened against 54,890 Insight’s leader Olena Shevchenko; elsewhere Amnesty International Report 2021/22 381