STRASBOURG, France, Dec 18, 2008 (AFP) - Europe's rights court on Thursday slammed Ukrainian authorities for failing to treat an AIDS virus carrier and recognised schizophrenic held on unsubstantiated theft charges.
Olga Biliak died in February 2004, aged 33, a day before she was due to be released having been detained since April of the previous year for aggravated robbery.
On her arrival at the Kiev detention centre, a doctor examined her and said her general health was good.
During her incarceration, she suffered from ulcers, bronchitis and pyelonephritis -- an infection of the urinary tract that affects the pelvis and kidneys if not treated quickly enough.
The Strasbourg court's judgment said these illnesses "exacerbated by her (HIV carrier status), demanded constant medical supervision and the appropriate care."
The court said Ukraine had violated the woman's fundamental right to life, saying as soon as she was denied transfer to a specialist hospital or the detention centre's medical wing, she became a "victim."
After completing their investigation, district police finally ordered that Biliak be released -- but she died on the eve of her freedom, from advanced pneumonia.
The Ukrainian government argued that her death stemmed from "an unpredictable evolution of the illness she was carrying before being placed in detention."
The court also said Kiev authorities had failed to carry out the required quality of investigation into her death, and awarded moral damages of 7,000 euros each (10,000 dollars) to the woman's parents and surviving son.
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