The end of the Maidan case: court closes the case on the shooting of participants
27 May 2024 14:23
The Shevchenkivskyi Court of Kyiv closed the case concerning the dispersal of peaceful protesters on Maidan on 30 November and 1 December 2013. The reason is the expiration of the statute of limitations. This was reported by Suspilne, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The indictment was submitted to the court in 2015, and the case has now been closed.
According to the decision of Judge Vitaliy Tsiptyk, one of the Berkut commanders, Oleh Marynenko, his deputies – Kyiv Berkut commanders Andriy Dydyuk and Mykola Tyagniryadno, and commanders of the 3rd and 4th companies Yevhen Antonov and Yuriy Shevchenko – will not be punished.
All charges against the suspects have been dropped, and their property has been released.
There were about 170 victims in the case.
During the hearing, only the prosecutors, four defendants, one lawyer and two victims – Lyubomira Kepler and Serhiy Kolosha – were present in the room.
Kepler stated that many of the Euromaidan protesters are now at war, and some are no longer alive. In his speech, Kolosha noted that closing the case today would lead to public disbelief in justice.
Despite the position of the victims, as well as the prosecutor’s request to postpone the hearing because not all participants were present, the judge announced his decision to release the defendants from liability due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
The aggrieved party stated that it would appeal the court decision.
The Maidan case
On the night of 30 November 2013, the police cleared Independence Square of protesters. In particular, the security forces used batons and other special means to disperse the protesters. More than a hundred people were injured, dozens were taken to district police stations. The next day, 1 December 2013, on the anniversary of the 1991 referendum on sovereignty, an estimated 500,000 to 1 million protesters took to the streets of Kyiv alone. On the same day, the activists marched peacefully to the Presidential Administration, where they were again subjected to force, in particular by representatives of the Berkut.
The following are accused of involvement in the beating of protesters during the dispersal: the former head of the public security department of the Kyiv MIA, Oleh Marynenko; two former deputy commanders of the Kyiv Berkut regiment, Andriy Dydyuk and Mykola Tyahnyryadnyi; and the acting commander of the 4th company of the Kyiv Berkut and the commander of the 3rd company of the Kyiv Berkut, Yuriy Shevchenko and Yevhen Antonov.
