The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, believes that Ukrainian security personnel who used "excessive force" and committed other legal violations against protesters ought to be held to account.
Muiznieks said at a press conference in Kyiv on Monday that he had sent a clear message to the Ukrainian authorities concerning the need to prosecute law enforcement officials who used excessive force and abused their powers.
According to the commissioner, it is not necessary for police to beat demonstrators during detention. The use of water cannons in sub-zero temperatures is also unacceptable, he said. He also said that law enforcement officials should not throw Molotov cocktails and stones back at protesters, describing police officers’ attacks on doctors and journalists as unacceptable.
In addition to that, Muiznieks reiterated the unacceptability of police cooperating with so-called “titushki”, Cossacks and other civilian associations to maintain order because such cooperation is not permitted by the law.
“The use of non-official persons to police demonstrations is highly dangerous, as it destroys public confidence in law enforcement, makes accountability impossible, and is completely counterproductive in the context of the need to deescalate tensions,” the commissioner said.
At the same time, Muiznieks said he sympathizes with police officers who were injured during protests in Ukraine, saying, however, that special requirements apply to police conduct.
Persons who attack other people, including police officers, must be strictly punished in any country, he said, adding that police represent the state, and they ought to follow very high standards of conduct.
