You're reading: Ukrainian justice minister to demand state of emergency unless protesters leave ministry’s building

Ukrainian Justice Minister Olena Lukash has asked the protesters to leave the Justice Ministry's building on Horodetskoho Street in a televised address. She said she would request the National Security and Defense Council to put into place a state of emergency unless the protesters did what she asked.

The so-called protesters have seized a building of the Ukrainian
Justice Ministry in Kyiv. (…) It was seized while the last adjustments
to the Law on Amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution were being drawn
up and the constitution was being reinstated in the 2004 edition,” the
minister said in an address posted on the Inter channel Web site.

According to the minister, experts of the working group for the
management of the crisis were working all night long on Sunday on two
issues: an amnesty and adjustments to the Ukrainian constitution.

“While that work was being done, unknown men smashed window glass
with bats and seized the building of the Ukrainian Justice Ministry in
the middle of the night. The last thing female employees of the
Ukrainian Justice Ministry saw was their photographs and personal
belongings being crushed with bats on the [ministry] premises,” Lukash
said.

Water was poured into the building, which turned into “a perfect skating rink,” she continued.

“I request ambassadors, members of diplomatic missions and consuls to
see what is going on and under the aegis of what European values our
European future is being destroyed and to condemn any manifestations of
aggression,” Lukash said.

Reportedly, activists of the Spilna Sprava took over the Justice Ministry building at 13 Horodetskoho Street on Sunday night.