A British humanitarian worker who died while in detention in Ukraine was forced to self-regulate his own insulin, an inquest in Oxford heard today (September 6).
Paul Urey, aged 45, was found dead in his cell in a prison near Donetsk on July 10 last year.
He had been captured by pro-Russian separatists in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) breakaway region of Ukraine.
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The inquest heard that the father of four had a number of significant health issues including type 1 diabetes and needed insulin.
Mr Urey’s health is said to have deteriorated significantly in the period leading up to his death.
There were also reports by fellow prisoners that he had been tortured whilst in custody in Ukraine.
Forensic pathologist, Dr Russell Delaney told Oxford Coroner’s Court that he had been unable to determine a medical cause of death in his postmortem report on Mr Urey’s body.
He explained that he found no evidence of injuries that would have contributed to his death, nor were there any signs of a catastrophic natural cause of death.
Dr Delaney conducted his post-mortem report in October 2022, when the humanitarian worker’s body had been repatriated to the UK.
He explained that the prolonged period of time between his report and Mr Urey’s death contributed to the lack of conclusive findings.
A separate post-mortem report had been conducted in Ukraine, when the 45-year-old’s body had been released by pro-Russian forces.
This examination found evidence of electrical marks on the 45-year-old’s body.
But Dr Delaney said these findings were not necessarily reliable and suggested that given the 45-year-old’s medical history, a natural cause of death should not be ruled out.
Witness statements from prisoners also held in the Donetsk region of Ukraine were read out at the inquest at Oxford Coroner’s Court.
They noted that although Mr Urey did have access to insulin for his type 1 diabetes, he was having to monitor the levels he needed himself.
Oxfordshire’s head coroner, Darren Salter, gave a narrative verdict at the inquest.
He said: “Paul Urey arrived in Ukraine on or about April 22 to engage in humanitarian work.
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“He travelled first to Odessa but then on April 25 he was captured by Russian forces.
“He was then detained and held in custody by Russian separatists of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
“On July 10, 2022, Paul Urey died in prison.
“His cause of death remains unascertained following a postmortem examination but Paul Urey had a significant historic of physical health issues which deteriorated prior to his death.”
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