ICC prosecutor: No crimes against humanity at Maidan

A relevant report by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda was released on Thursday, November 12.

According to preliminary conclusions by ICC, the Ukrainian law enforcement officers frequently used “excessive and indiscriminate” force against protesters and journalists during protests at Kiev's Maidan Nezalezhnosti in 2013-2015.

But at the same time, the law enforcement officers didn’t commit crimes against humanity, Bensouda said.

"While these considerations tend to indicate that alleged crimes do not amount to crimes against humanity, the Office notes that serious human rights abuses did occur at Maidan,” Bensouda said.

The prosecutor also said although the attacks on the protesters were directed “against a civilian population," there were not enough evidences that “it was either widespread or systematic”.

In particular, the report says although protests were held in various regions of Ukraine, the most violent actions took place in Kyiv, namely at Maidan Nezalezhnosti, that’s why the mentioned events were “geographically limited”.

As for the continuity of events at Maidan, the prosecutor said although demonstrations were held during three months with the participation of a large number of protesters, the incidents, as a result of which the crimes were committed, took place randomly.

As a reminder, Ukraine is not a state party to the ICC's founding Rome Statute, but it has accepted the court's jurisdiction for some period of time.

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