The unit commander of the special Berkut regiment (assigned to the Ministry of Interior Affairs in Kyiv) was dismissed from custody by the investigating judge of Pechersk District Court. He is a suspect in the shooting of 39 protesters on Instytutska Street in Kyiv. Despite the gravity of his crimes, the reason for this man’s dismissal was the fact that he had a wife, three children and an apartment in Kyiv, as well as a good reputation. The court declared that these facts guarantee that the suspect will not evade criminal liability.
The Press Service of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has announced more relevant information on this affair:
“The General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine expresses outrage at this decision and considers that the position of Pechersk District Court will enable the suspect to evade responsibility for this crime, which is punishable by ten years to life imprisonment. We have prepared an appeal against this decision.”
As previously reported, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine completed pre-trial investigations and started familiarizing the victims with materials of criminal proceedings concerning the unit commander of the special Berkut regiment and two of his subordinates, who, under criminal orders of former government authorities, joined with other law enforcement agencies, illegally used firearms and murdered 39 protesters on Instytutska Street in Kyiv on February 20, 2014.
“Due to the expiry of the detention period, the investigating judge asked the Pechersky District Court to extend detention, given that there were objective risks of these suspects evading investigation and trial. Having announced this state of affairs, the investigating judge extended detention for two suspects, but freed their commander from custody. It was namely this man who, according to information obtained by investigators, supervised the shooting of the Maidanivtsi.” declared the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The General Prosecutor of Ukraine continues to interrogate suspects and familiarize them with materials which will be used to draw up an act of accusation for further court proceedings.
