A Ukrainian national who has lived in France since 2021 has been charged and placed in provisional detention for crimes against humanity, the French national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office announced on Friday.
Yehven B., born in 1979 in Donetsk, is suspected of taking part in torture between 2016 and 2019 at Izoliatsia prison, a former contemporary art centre turned detention site by pro-Russian separatists.
The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office says he is accused of extorting confessions, inflicting violence and inhumane acts, including sexual violence, on inmates. Former detainees were interviewed in France and Ukraine with judicial cooperation.
Izoliatsia is described by Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as a place where hundreds of people have been tortured, especially since the 2022 Russian invasion. Donetsk is currently occupied by Russia.
The man was taken into custody on 7 April before being charged and placed in provisional detention.
