Imprisonment for damaging a controversial parliamentary fence?

According to Kommentari the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office is actively investigating a criminal case over deliberate damage to the fence around the Verkhovna Rada during a rally on 12 December 2012.

According to the investigators, the metal fence and doors to one of the entrances to the Verkhovna Rada were damaged at around 15.00 on 12 December

The charges at present being considered are of deliberate destruction or damage to property causing damage on a large scale (various punishments including imprisonment up to 3 years); group infringement of public order – up to imprisonment for 6 months; resisting a police officer, etc – up to imprisonment for up to 2 years; deliberately causing a police officer injuries – up to 5 years imprisonment.

As reported here, 200 metres of 2 metre high iron fencing went up in November 2011, around the Verkhovna Rada. As the website GLAVRED puts it, “securely protecting MPs from the people”.

The first moves to keep people away came on the day that Afghanistan War Veterans tried to storm the Verkhovna Rada, protesting over cuts in social benefits.  The two-metre area used for protests between the fence separating the Verkhovna Rada from flowerbeds in Vatutin Park and the parliamentary railing was padlocked off. 

The ruling majority at the time claimed that they didn’t know who had put it up.

On 12 December 2012 MPs from the VO Svoboda Party cut down part of the fence. The police surrounded the place and blocked entrance to parliament.

The leader of VO Svoboda Oleh Tyahnybok then stated that they’d done it since the Verkhovna Rada was the highest representative body of the Ukrainian people and the people had the right of access to it.