Amnesty International and the organizing committee of Kyiv Pride 2013 are very grateful to the police for maintaining law and order during Equality March, which took place in Kyiv on May 25, though they were disappointed that the Kyiv authorities banned the holing of the event in the centre of Kyiv.
“The organizers of Kyiv Pride 2013 welcome the cooperation and protection of the Ukrainian police during the first successful LGBT march, which took place in Kyiv on May 25. The recognition and fulfillment by the Interior Ministry of their duties regarding protecting the right to freedom to peaceful assembly for the LGBT society is an important step in fighting discrimination according to sexual orientation and gender identity in Ukraine,” reads the joint report from Amnesty International and Kyiv Pride 2013 organizing committee posted on the organization’s Web site on Monday.
However, the organizations expressed concern that Kyiv’s authorities decided to ban the Equality March from being held in downtown Kyiv, and made the organizers change the venue and format of the event to a private one and “restricted the rights of participants to the freedom of peaceful assembly.”
Amnesty International and Kyiv Pride’s organizing committee called on the authorities in future not to place such restrictions on events in which LGBT people try to peacefully express their opinions,” the report said.
The authors of the report also noted the higher level of cooperation and protection of policemen compared to last year, when law enforcement agencies failed to provide proper protection against the potential violence from opposite demonstrators and advised that the march be cancelled.
The document also said that despite taken measures, several protestors managed to cross the police lines.
As reported, in the morning of May 25, Equality March took place in Kyiv involving over 50 people, including members of Munich sexual minorities. Up to 500 policemen maintained order during the street march.
The police drew up reports against 13 people who attempted to interfere with the holding of the event, the public relations department of the Interior Ministry’s main department in Kyiv reported.
