‘Throw this one to the basement and finish him off before he infects others’: torture and violence against drug users in Donetsk region

Since May 2014, several Ukrainian towns in Donetsk regions have been facing new reality: gunmen, explosions, torture and killings. Hereby we would like to share with you how these events affect people who use drugs and people living with HIV in Ukraine.

These stories of participants and eyewitnesses have been collected by street lawyers* within the human rights activities of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN). The original style has been maintained.

According to the eyewitnesses, from 5 June, representatives of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) stationed at the Gorlovsky military post of the Donetsk National Levy (the gang of Igor Bezler, otherwise known as Bes, eng. ‘Demon’) in the town of Enakiyevo, Donetsk region, have started violent actions against drug users. Masked and armed people, having captured administrative buildings, militia and the prosecutor’s office, have turned against drug users. They kidnap people, keep them in basements, threaten them with guns and use various tortures during interrogation.

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