The amnesty for protesters will not be applied if they do not vacate government buildings and do not unblock highways in Ukraine by Feb. 17 (the date specified in the amnesty law), Kyiv Regional Prosecutor Mykhailo Vitiaz has said.
“If the seized government buildings are not vacated and highways across the country are not unblocked by Feb. 17, the amnesty will not be applied. Only full compliance with all legal requirements will launch the mechanism of amnesty,” the press service of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office quoted him as saying in an interview with KievVlast.
“Otherwise, the law loses its force and law enforcement agencies of Kyiv region will act in accordance with the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code. That it, the opened criminal proceedings will be investigated, and those guilty will be held criminally responsible for the crimes they committed,” Vitiaz said.
Speaking about the fate of activists who are suspects in criminal proceedings initiated as a result of mass disturbances, he noted that “the crimes of which they are accused are serious crimes and punishment for them foresees long prison terms.”
As reported, on Jan. 29, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, passed a bill on measures to eliminate the negative aftermath and prevent the prosecution and punishment of persons involved in developments during peaceful protest rallies, which was prepared by Regions Party faction member Yuriy Miroshnychenko.
The opposition factions’ leaders described the amnesty bill as “a law on hostages” and said that “instead of peacefully resolving the crisis and resuming parliamentarianism, the majority in the Verkhovna Rada continues to escalate the standoff and the practice of law falsification.”
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych signed the bill into law on Jan. 31.
The amnesty law stipulates that it will take effect after the Prosecutor General’s Office reports on its Web site that the protesters vacated all administrative buildings and unblocked Hrushevskoho Street in Kyiv.
The law exempts people suspected or accused of committing certain crimes from criminal liability on condition that these offences and crimes are related to the mass protests that started on Nov. 21, 2013. The criminal proceedings against such people will be dropped.
Article 9 of the law stipulates that it will come into force the day after its official publication but will actually take effect the day after the Prosecutor General’s Office posts a prosecutor general’s report on its official Web site confirming that the participants in the protests have carried out certain actions.
In particular, the protesters are supposed to vacate all buildings, including those housing government and local government bodies in Kyiv and other populated areas of Ukraine, provide people working there with free access to their workplaces, and eliminate other obstacles to normal operation of these institutions.
The protesters are also supposed to unblock Hrushevskoho Street in Kyiv and other streets, squares, roads, and boulevards both in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine except those where peaceful protest actions are taking place.
Article 10 of the law allots 15 days to the protesters to comply with these conditions, starting the next day after the law comes into force.
Article 11 specifies that the law will remain in effect until the expiration of this 15-day term.
