Chief negotiator, suspected inquisitor
The president, whose aide was he was “above” the negotiations with leaders of the opposition, sent Andriy Klyuyev to lead the effort. Opposition leaders interpreted it as an insult since National Defense and Security Council Chief is believed to be behind the violent attack at peaceful protesters on Nov. 30, when hundreds of students were beaten and ran to a church for shelter.
Only Klyuyev’s deputy is facing charges so far, however.
His assistants-to-be in negotiations were Andriy Portnov, a presidential legal adviser, and Olena Lukash, the justice minister. Both may have been involved, opposition believes, in drafting of the very draconian laws that provoked violent clashes.
The Yanukovcyh ultimatum
Apart from appointing an extremely controversial team of negotiators, Yanukovych followed up with what seemed to be an ultimatum for the opposition.
“I will apply all effort to ensure public order, defend the rights of peaceful citizens and will use all legal and other means envisages by the laws of Ukraine and other measures to guarantee civic peace and security of all our compatriots,” the president warned in his pre-recorded address to the nation.
Berkut is being urgently legalized, including use of firearms
Special riot police unit Berut, which has been accused by the opposition and the lawyer community of operating with no proper legal regulation, is being urgently legalized by the authorities, writes liga.info, an authoritative legal and business news site.
According to its information, on Jan. 11, the Justice Ministry received an order from Interior Ministry that lays out the legal framework for the operation of the unit. The document states that once an order is given by the commander, officers of this department can use physical force, “special means and fire arms” in certain cases regulated by articles 12-15, part 1 of the law on police.
Police have been firing at protesters anyway
As hundreds of protesters and dozens of journalists flooded hospitals with various wounds, it emerged that police may have been using a whole array of weapons illegally, including traumatic weapons. The presence of snipers was reported from the early hours of clashes on Hrushevsky Street, and they became more visible in the daylight.
Police, using guns with rubber bullets, have repeatedly fired on protesters.
The police also used a water cannon, a lot of tear gas, noise grenades and the tricks of the street such as cobblestones and vulgar, obscene gestures at the protesters.
Moreover, at least 34 journalists were injured since the clashes began on Jan. 19, at least in some cases the wounds were inflicted by the police intentionally. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist filmed a policeman aiming and firing at him. Later, two journalists of the same organizations were arrested and beaten by the police.
Arrests of injured people in hospitals
According to multiple media and witness reports, police arrests those who are checked into hospitals. Some reports say police are stationed in hospitals around the clock. Worse still, some are reporting that police kidnaps injured people from hospitals. People who require medical assistance are advised not to travel to hospitals on their own.
Buying gasoline is now illegal
One news agency reported, citing sources among activists, that police have been deployed to many filling stations in Kyiv and they arrest anyone who fills metal cans with gasoline. In one case there was an attempt to arrest a group of journalists who were buying gas for a power generator.
The draconian laws have been published
And to bang the last nail into the coffin of potential negotiations, the authorities have printed the very laws that started the latest round of violence. Holos Ukrainy will run the text of the laws in its Jan. 21 edition, thus completing the last legal procedure before the law comes into effect.
Kyiv Post deputy chief editor Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at [email protected]
