The chief of a unit of the main department of the Interior Ministry in Kyiv has been handed notification of suspicion of abuse of power during the November 30 crackdown of a pro-European rally in central Kyiv, the General Prosecutor's Office has reported. The pre-down police raid injured dozens of people. Witnesses and victims described the attack as deliberate, brutal and unprovoked. The incident helped galvanize opposition to President Viktor Yanukovych.
“Today, the chief of a unit of the main department of the Interior Ministry in Kyiv has been handed a notification of suspicion of abuse of office, that is a deliberate action by an official, which exceeds his the powers, during the events that took place on Independence Square on November 30, 2013,” the statement reads.
As reported, on Nov. 21, the Ukrainian government decided to suspend preparations for the signing of an association agreement with the European Union. On the same day, people gathered on Independence Square to protest against the decision.
The agreement was not signed at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius on Nov. 29.
Berkut riot police units forcibly dispersed a rally of supporters of Ukraine’s integration with the European Union on Independence Square in Kyiv at about 4 a.m. on Nov. 30. Thirty-five protesters were brought to the Shevchenkivsky district police department. A similar number of people were later reported to have sought medical attention.
On Dec.14, officers of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine handed a notification on suspicion of abuse of power during the events at night on Nov. 30 on Independence Square to Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Volodymyr Sivkovych, Head of Kyiv City Administration Oleksandr Popov, the then Head of Kyiv police Valeriy Koriak and Deputy Head of Kyiv police Petro Fedchuk.
On Dec. 13, Popov gave his testimony. In his testimony, Popov said that on that night he received a command from Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Kliuyev to follow orders from Sivkovych. The NSDC deputy secretary denied this.
On Dec. 14, anukovych suspended Popov from the post of the head of Kyiv City State Administration. Sivkovych, Koriak and Fedchuk were also suspended.
