Ukrainian police officer sentenced for shooting a young activist in the back

The Holosiyivsky District Court in Kyiv has delivered its verdict in the case involving Sergeant Viktor Sych who shot and wounded an activist from the party “Pora”, Aleksandr Hlobenko. Sych was given a suspended four-year sentence with a two year probationary period .

The Court also ordered the Kyiv Department of State Security, who the police officer worked for, to pay the victim sixty thousand US dollars compensation. Victor Sych was also banned after the expiry of the probationary period from working in any law enforcement agency for two years.

In March 2006 police officers detained two activists from “Pora” in the night while they latter were sticking up election campaign leaflets. The police officers took them for car thieves.

Sergeant Viktor Sych forced 17-year-old Aleksandr Hlobenko to the ground and began putting handcuffs on him. The police officer accidentally, as the court decided, touched the trigger of his gun and shot the lad in the back hitting one of his lungs. The court classified the actions of Sych as “professional negligence”.