You're reading: Turchynov: Those who surrender weapons and free buildings will not be prosecuted

Verkhovna Rada Chairman and Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said he guarantees that protesters in southeastern Ukraine will not be prosecuted if they voluntarily surrender weapons and release the seized administrative buildings.

During the morning plenary session of parliament on Thursday, when
commenting on a Regions Party demand to pass a law amnestying the
protesters, Turchynov said: “If people lay down their arms and release
administrative buildings, we do not need to adopt an amnesty law. We
guarantee that there will be no prosecutions of people who surrender
their weapons and free the premises. And I am prepared to issue a
respective presidential decree.”

He said that he had a phone conversation with people who seized an administrative building in Luhansk.

“In order to avoid bloodshed, I proposed that the citizens who are in
this building [surrender their weapons and free the buildings], and am
ready to offer the same to those people who are in the Donetsk regional
administration,” Turchynov said.

He also informed those who took over the building of the Luhansk
regional administration that the parliament was ready to expand the
rights of local councils.

“We are ready to immediately consider the question concerning local
government reform in terms of expanding the rights of local councils,
including the formation of the executive authorities by the councils,”
Turchynov said.

He also said that during the conversation he discussed the creation
of an “international commission, together with the Prosecutor General’s
Office, which would check all the events related to the deaths of
Ukrainian citizens during peaceful protests.”

Turchynov said that this information should be investigated objectively.