Exhibit A

When muckraking journalist Georgy Gongadze went missing on Sept. 16, 2000, the first stage of the official investigation into the case of was notable for its distractions, inconsistencies and breach of due procedure under law.

From the beginning, no words of sympathy or empathy were uttered from the nation’s leadership – just look at their cynical cover-up:

On Sept. 25, 2000, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Mykola Dzhyha said Gongadze had been seen in a Kyiv café the day after he disappeared, the Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Kravchenko repeated this information on Oct. 6, 2000. On the day after the corpse was found, First Deputy Prosecutor General Serhiy Vynokurov announced that Gongadze had been seen on a train in Donetsk Region. On Jan. 10 2001, Prosecutor General Mykhaylo Potebenko told the media he had received new information which “suggests that the journalist is still alive.” A few days later his deputy, Aleksei Bahanets, went to Lviv to question people who said they had seen Gongadze; he said he had “no doubt that they were not mistaken.” He repeated this claim a month later. In late January 2001 Potebenko said a Czech visa had been issued to Gongadze after he disappeared. In late April 2001, Bahanets told Russian television: “We have a witness who was on holiday in the Czech Republic” and saw Gongadze in February.

What authorities should’ve said in the Gongadze case:

The grotesque manner in which the journalist was slain leaves no doubt in our minds that there was malice involved, and there are strong indications of a conspiracy at the highest levels of this nation’s leadership to murder this talented journalist.

Our hearts and condolences go out to Mr. Gongadze’s family and closest ones. We shall vigorously prosecute his murder and ensure that everyone involved in his abduction and subsequent murder will feel the full brunt of justice. Ukraine is a democratic nation, and to keep it democratic, a vibrant, free press must exist to keep our citizens informed, and those in power accountable to the public.

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Exhibit B

Or recall when Kharkiv journalist Vasyl Klymentiev disappeared on Aug. 11, 2010.

President Viktor Yanukovych said: “Law enforcement authorities of Kharkiv oblast and all of Ukraine must do everything possible and impossible to find this journalist”.

Law enforcement then offered a teensy Hr 20,000 ($2,500) for any information that directly leads to the whereabouts of the missing journalist.

He’s still missing and is presumed dead.

No sense of urgency, no human thread of compassionate public statements with promises to find the suspected culprits, one of whom is a former police officer.

What the authorities should’ve done and said at the outset:

A special task force has been assembled consisting of the best investigators this country has to offer. They are pursuing all credible leads using the most up-to-date forensic science. We welcome any assistance in this case from other law enforcement bodies. Journalists in this country should feel safe to do their jobs, we will not allow a repeat of what happened to Georgy Gongadze. No stone will be left unturned which is why we’re offering $350,000 for any information that directly leads to the whereabouts of the missing journalist.

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Exhibit C



And September, the nation’s neediest 10 million people – those who should enjoy the twilight of their lives to spoil their grandchildren, go fishing, enjoy leisurely walks in parks…got the shaft.

That when President Viktor Yanukovych signed the pension law reform bill, increasing the retirement age for women from 55 to 60 years and increasing the pensionable service by ten years for men and women.

The reform didn’t include overhauling the pension system into different tiers or help strengthen safety net institutions.

What the authorities should’ve said and done:

The 10 million retired Ukrainians who require the best medication and care, who are owed our respect and gratitude for raising us and looking after our children, their grandchildren, deserve nothing but the best. They shouldn’t have to spend their time in demeaning search of glass bottles and cardboard products to deposit for money or shamefully beg on the streets, or sift through garbage for food, clothes or footwear. As a society we owe it to them to live out their lives with dignity, free of poverty and the demands of everyday life.