Maidan shootings started five years ago

18.02.2019 10:32

Ukrinform

On this day five years ago, the most tragic stage of the Revolution of Dignity began in Ukraine.

February 18-20, 2014, about a hundred people were killed in Kyiv city center, several dozens persons went missing, more than a thousand were injured, and hundreds were arrested and tortured.

On the morning of February 18, 2014, the protesters organized a march, which was called the “Peaceful Offensive”, to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to stop the arbitrariness of the public authorities. The citizens called on the authorities to adopt the decisions for overcoming crisis and settling the situation in the country, primarily, to limit the powers of the President of Ukraine by amending the Constitution of Ukraine. The police officers, acting on instructions from the leadership of the law enforcement agency, together with the hired thugs, grossly violated the current legislation and used excessive violence and firearms in a brutal crackdown on the march.

As a result, on February 18, 23 people were killed and 509 more were injured (in particular, 37 people received serious bodily injuries and 85 people received moderate bodily injuries). In September 2014, Ukraine opened criminal proceedings on the investigation into the crimes committed during the Maidan protests.

Currently, the law enforcement agencies investigate into more than 2,000 episodes within the framework of the case of Maidan crimes committed from November 21, 2013 to February 21, 2014. Some case files on the events of those days have been already submitted to court. For these years, 442 individuals have already been notified of suspicion, 186 indictments against 288 people have been filed at court. Fifty-two people have been found guilty of committing crimes, 45 of them have been convicted.

Bringing to justice the alleged organizers of the crackdown on the Maidan is extremely difficult process as a significant number of them fled abroad, in particular to Russia. At present, more than 90 people are wanted within the framework of the cases on Maidan crimes, which are being investigated by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine.