Ukrainians Demand Justice for Beaten & Jailed #Euromaidan Protesters
The Euromaidan protests in Ukraine have entered their second month, with several hudred thousand protesters gathering in Kyiv and other cities daily. The movement began as a pro-EU demonstration mostly by young people in response to a halted Ukraine-EU agreement that would bring Ukraine significantly closer to the European Union. After the brutal beating of students and other protesters by the riot police division known as “Berkut” on the early morning of November 30, 2013, the daily rallies turned into a nation-wide anti-government protest.
Following separate cases of violence during a mass rally in Kyiv on December 1, more protesters were beaten by “Berkut” , including at least forty journalists.
A series of detentions and arrests followed. Nine seemingly random protesters were detained on the day of this particular rally, severely beaten by the police and later charged with plotting and organizing mass riots despite the almost complete absence of evidence corroborating the charges. Three more people were arrested shortly afterwards on the same charges – two journalist activists from “Dorozhnyi Control” (Road Control) initiative and a photographer from the Ukrainian city of Lviv, who took pictures of the police brutality incidents on November 30.
Helping Bankova prisoners and other victims of repressions
These people became known as the “Bankova prisoners”, named so after Bankova street near the Presidential Administration building, where the clashes with police took place on December 1, 2013. Their cases have been highly publicized and, following appeals by local and international journalists, MPs and diplomats, and mass rallies in defense of the prisoners, reportedly three of the detainees were found guilty and fined, five were released with trials pending, and three remain jailed for a two-month term under further investigation.
The video [uk] below shows a “lying picket” under the Ukrainian Public Prosecutor's Office initiated by the Democratic Alliance. Activists lie on the steps of the building forcing employees to literally step over them, just like they “step over the law”. The protesters shout “Shame on you! Shame on you!” [uk].
To support these and other activists repressed for participating in Euromaidan, Ukrainian netizens have set up a Facebook page [uk] and a special website [uk, en] dedicated to aiding the Bankova prisoners.
![A screenshot of a Facebook page dedicated to Bankova prisoners. The caption reads: "Euromainad: Help guys who are being [wrongfully accused] of attack on Bankova" [uk]](https://globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Bankova-prisoners-800x535.png)
A screenshot of a Facebook page dedicated to Bankova prisoners. The caption reads: “Euromainad: Help guys who are being [wrongfully accused] of attack on Bankova” [uk]
The role of such initiatives remains extremely important, as the pressure and number of brutal attacks on Euromaidan activists has increased exponentially. Thus, in the recent days stabbing of Kharkiv Euromaidan organizer Dmytro Pypypets, deadly beating of Kyiv Euromaidan activist Pavlo Mazurenko and brutal attack on journalist and activist Tetyana Chornovil were reported. Unfortunately, journalists remain on the forefront of these incidents and authorities seem unable or unwilling to put such practices to a halt. Amidst these events social media users have shared calls for organizing in their defense [uk], including suggestions for providing physical protection to lead media and activists.
An anonymous collage circulated online. The majority of people pictured are domestic and foreign journalists beaten by the police or “unidentified” perpetrators.
Identifying and demanding prosecution of those guilty in beating peaceful protesters and media
After almost a month since the brutal beating of peaceful protesters in the streets of Kyiv on November 30 and December 1, the government has neither identified nor prosecuted any of the officers involved, and have just dismissed two middle-ranked related public officials in an unsuccessful attempt to diffuse unrest.
As the authorities fail to identify members of the “Berkut” riot police division and other law enforcement authorities guilty of mass beatings during Euromaidan, several initiatives appeared online that aim to do this work themselves. “Ne zabudemo” (“We won't forget”) describes itself as a “movement for the restoration of justice” [uk]. By collecting photographic and video evidence from the protests as well as accounts of witnesses through its website [uk] and social media accounts, they aim to uncover and reveal the identities of Berkut members, as well as other related policemen, public prosecutors, investigators, judges and other individuals involved in incidents of brutality and the subsequent cover up attempts.
![The screenshot of "Ne zabudemo" website, which aims to identify those guilty of beating peaceful protesters on Euromaidan. The inscription on the picture lists the name of a policeman already identified from the photo [uk]](https://globalvoicesonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Ne-zabudemo-800x562.jpg)
The screenshot of “Ne zabudemo” (“We [won't] forget”) website, which aims to identify those guilty of beating peaceful protesters on Euromaidan. The inscription on the picture lists the name of a policeman already identified from the photo [uk]
Lustration lists and other “name and shame” initiatives
A political party and active participant of Euromaidan, the Democratic Alliance, set up a website “Ne buty skotom” (“Don't be an animal”) crowdsourcing the names and photos of policemen involved in beatings, judges and prosecutors banning peaceful rallies or prosecuting activists, as well as thugs initiating violence against Euromaidan participants and journalists, and similar cases.
A screenshot of the website crowdsourcing information about authorities obstructing Euromaidan, breaking the law or limiting citizens’ rights and freedoms. The number on the bottom means 94 persons allegedly guilty of such actions were added so far.
“UDAR” – another opposition party active in Euromaidan and lead by a former world boxing champion Vitaliy Klychko compiled its own list of authorities that should be subjected to lustration when the government is changed. UDAR's Euromaidan Lustration List [uk] already contains over sixty names.
As the fate of the ongoing Euromaidan rallies remains uncertain, such initiatives are meant to foster exchange of information and help activists exert continuous pressure on authorities, while the protests continue and grow.
15 comments
There is one thing with regards to the claimed beating of one of the Opposition Leaders, Yuriy Lutsenko, and that is that this might be a Hollywood Stunt, and Perhaps he was not injured.
Perhaps Yuriy Lutsenko was not beaten, and they had some fake blood and covered it with some cloths to make it look like he was beaten.
If Yuriy Lutsenko was beaten, then it could have an Opportunistic Bribed fellow Demonstrator, or a Secret CIA Agent, because they want the Protests to continue in order to Exploit Ukraine.
It could be that Yuriy Lutsenko is at a Private Hospital, were a Few Selected Doctors are claiming that he was beaten, and I want to see the wound before I will accept that he is injured, not because of any improper reasons, but because it is a Matter of Genuine National Security Interest.
If the Doctors have to clinically and gently wound Yuriy Lutsenko to make the wound, then let him earn his Treacherous Deception, if he has not been beaten, because Euro-America and the Puppets are the Masters of Deception with every type of Lie and Trickery.
Perhaps the Selected Bribed Doctors who are in on the Deception, gave the uninjured Yuriy Lutsenko an anesthetic, and then gave him a gentle wound after he came to the Hospital, or an uninjured Yuriy Lutsenko could have received an anesthetic in the Bribed Ambulance, and then been given the gentle wound to blame the Police in order to blame the Government.
The purpose of blaming the Police is to somehow connect this to the Government, because Euro-America wants to install their Puppets in power in order to Exploit Ukraine.
Perhaps Yuriy Lutsenko deliberately provoked the situation, because he was Paid to get himself beaten up, because they were the Orders of Euro-America, who have offered to make him the Prime Minister.
Perhaps Yuriy Lutsenko did this for Bribe Money, or because Euro-America had some dirt on him, and is Blackmailing him.
Anglo-America who is Spying Globally, may have some dirt on Yuriy Lutsenko, and now he is their Puppet.
Euro-America may have threatened to go to the Police, if he did not go along with a possible Deception, and if he did not attend that Demonstration which was engineered by Euro-American Bribe Money to turn violent, and the Police regrettably had to act to restore the Public Order, but we cannot be sure of where or how or by whom or at what time Yuriy Lutsenko was injured, and that is if he is injured, or is just faking it.
These are Legitimate Questions to ask, and perhaps some ways to make Ambulances more Accountable for these situations may be found in order to make any Traitors to somewhat earn their Treacherous Schemes against their own Country.
The reason to make Ambulances and the Doctors more Accountable in these situations, is because many People think that Euro-America is prepared to murder their Puppets using Secret CIA Agents, or Bribe Ambulance Workers, or even Selected Bribed Doctors to Exploit Ukraine.
The News says that Yuriy Lutsenko is out of Intensive Care, and so if he was injured, then he should make a full recovery, if the Doctors are providing him with proper treatments.
Perhaps Yuriy Lutsenko was ordered to be at that Demonstration, in order to make the Story, either real or fake, and I want to say that I have not seen any evidence that the Police beat him, and I must admit that I did not go looking for it, because I just do not have the time to check every matter, but what was Yuriy Lutsenko doing there supporting Convicted Criminals, but we know that he served a Prison sentence for Forgery and the Abuse of Office, and so Euro-America could easily have other dirt on him to Blackmail him.
We know that Tetyana Chornovol was beaten, but by whom, and for what reason, may remain a secret for some time.
That Journalist or Sensationalist has a definite Bias, and so Tetyana Chornovol assumptions without proof cannot be accepted by anyone objective.
Any Journalist such as Tetyana Chornovol that has such Bias, is not a proper Journalist because of that Bias, which is very probably a sign of a Vested Interest.
I do not know much on this matter, but I will offer a possibility that I have not as yet heard mentioned.
It could be that the Tetyana Chornovol deliberately provoked the situation, because she was paid to get herself beaten up, and so she may have said bad things to the People in the other car, and then they chased her, and then they beat her.
It could have been that she did this for Bribe Money, or because Euro-America had some dirt on her, and is Blackmailing her.
If Euro-America can find enough European Politicians and Journalists and Activists to Bribe or to Blackmail, then they can Destabilize a Country in order to Exploit that Country, just like the European Union tried to Bankrupt Ukraine, with their Highly Unfavorable Association Agreement.
We know that People would not want to go to Jail for their Secret Crimes, of which Anglo-America has Proof of, and so they will Follow the Carefully Written Lying Script of Euro-America, if they have been Compromised in this manner.
It looks Very Likely that the beating of Tetyana Chornovol Could Easily be the Cunning Work of Euro-America to blame the Innocent Ukrainian Authorities, because they want to install their Puppets in power in Ukraine in order to Exploit Ukraine.
We have heard that the complaint of Tetyana Chornovol is that some Democratically Elected Representatives have expensive homes.
The People of Ukraine should know that Communism failed as an Economic System, and so it has been discovered that the Free Enterprise Economy is what creates jobs for the People, and the Mass Human Rights Violation Document, which is Euphemistically known as the European Union and Ukraine Association Agreement would cost millions of Ukrainians their jobs, and it would Bankrupt Ukraine if it were implemented.
We know that Ukraine was once Communist, and Foreign Investors want to be sure that the Elected Representatives of Ukraine are not Communists, but that they believe in Free Enterprise.
The best way to create jobs for everyone is not to prevent People from earning as much as they want, because Capital is needed for Investment like factories to create jobs.
These Free Enterprise Investors need to know that Ukrainians have nothing against Rich People who create those jobs, and the Elected Representatives can prove this to the Investors who create jobs for Ukrainian People by also having expensive homes, like the Opposition Politicians have, and like the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko does.
This issue of Tetyana Chornovol concerning expensive homes of Elected Representatives is really a non issue to those who know how Investment and the Markets work, and it is yet another example in a long list of examples, of how the Opposition are Irresponsible, and why they should not be trusted with Government.
There are many businesses who sell construction materials to build expensive homes, and many workers are employed on building expensive homes.
It could be that some Company who was selling building materials may have organized the beating of Tetyana Chornovol, and they could have been Euro-American Companies.
It is my opinion that Euro-America was behind the beating of Tetyana Chornovol, and the real or fake beating of Yuriy Lutsenko to keep the protest going, in order to attempt an Illegal Coup in Ukraine.
Journalists can fulfill their Great Responsibility to their Readers, by being Objective, and by Only writing Facts, and Only giving their Genuinely Held Opinions, and this is the Code of Ethics for Journalism.