MENU
Documenting
war crimes in Ukraine

The Tribunal for Putin (T4P) global initiative was set up in response to the all-out war launched by Russia against Ukraine in February 2022.

Democratic Alliance: The President is scared of people altogether

22.04.2013   

Vasyl Hatsko, Head of the Democratic Alliance Party and Maxim Panov, head of the Kyiv branch, are now at liberty having been jailed as administrative arrest over entirely peaceful protests.

As reported, Maxim Panov was initially jailed for 7 days over the events on 11 April when four Democratic Alliance activists and a TVi film crew went to the village of Novi Petrivtsi near the President’s controversial residence at Mezhyhirya.  They wanted to see the effects of the flood used as a pretext for banning a peaceful protest outside Mezhyhirya  There was no flood, but the four activists were detained, two fined and Maxim Panov jailed for seven days.  It was reported on Friday that the Kyiv Court of Appeal rejected his appeal against the conviction.

On Friday other Democratic Alliance activists went to the court to protest and Vasyl Hatsko, who had been one of the four on 11 April, was this time jailed for 5 days.

Hatsko explained to Radio Svoboda that they had wanted their protest over the state of the roads in Ukraine to be heard outside Mezhyhirya.  They say that Yanukovych hires and fires the Head of Ukravtodoroha [Ukrainian Roads] and the previous head, Volodymyr Demishkan (as of October 2012 an MP – translator)  had led to the ruination of Ukrainian roads over the last 8 years under Yanukovych’s protection.

He says that they chose Mezhyhirya, rather than Bankova St in Kyiv because there was more chance of meeting Yanukovych himself. 

He says that they were detained not outside Mezhyhirya but as they were leaving.  The traffic police first stopped them, and then a Berkut riot police unit drove up and detained them.

Asked why, nonetheless, if the chances of actually meeting Yanukovych were near nill, they didn’t stay in Kyiv and try to protest outside the President’s Administration. 

Hatsko replys that “at the present time Yanukovych is frightened of people, both on Bankova St and in Kyiv in general.  He’s created all the conditions were he can not meet them at all. That is, he’s protected himself with the police, various walls, etc which enables him to not see people. “

He has to come out of the Mezhyhirya gates however, albeit in a large cortege. 

 Share this