Human rights activist fighting land corruption attacked

In Kharkiv two assailants beat up Stanislav Ihnatyev, the head of the organization “Department of Youth Initiatives”. The organization “Hidna Ukraina” [the ACTION Project] reports that the attack took place on 2 December as Ihnatyev was returning from a meeting near his office.

Stanislav Ihnatyev had recently received unambiguous threats, and nothing of value was stolen, this giving weight to the assumption that the attack was intended to intimidate the human rights activist who is now in hospital. Members of the ACTION Project are extremely concerned by the assault. According to the Director of the Project Johanna Grosman: “We are turning to the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and demanding a swift and comprehensive study of this incident and punishment of both those who carried out the attack and those who ordered it. Only these results can prove the commitment and readiness of the Ukrainian authorities to combat corruption”.

Since August 2008 Ihnatyev’s civic organization which includes a number of partner organizations (“National Coalition of Organizations”) has been running a project of information support for reform in the area of land reform. The reforms are aimed at reducing the level of corruption in carrying out operations involving agricultural land in state or communal ownership.  The “Department of Youth Initiatives”, together with its partners, has been working within the framework of the joint Ukrainian – US “Promoting Active Citizen Engagement in Combating Corruption in Ukraine (ACTION) Project”.