A Kyiv court has rejected the appeal lodged by Kadura, a businessman and activist of the AutoMaidan protests, against his two month detention. Kadura was arrested together with well-known Road Control journalist Andriy Dzyndzya on charges which arouse deep scepticism.

Three men still in detention include a journalist and photographer arrested over alleged and disputed involvement in disturbances on Dec 1 and the lawyer of one of the men. Ombudsperson Valeria Lutkovska’s public statement ignores grave doubts about all three cases

8 of the 9 “Bankova Prisoners” have been freed from custody, however in most cases the criminal proceedings are continuing, while the detention and prosecutions of Andriy Dzyndzya, Viktor Smaliy and Oleh Panas arouse equal concern

The Lviv regional police are determined to prosecute Ukrainian Catholic University students who blocked the road from Kyiv to Chop on Nov 26. As reported, the students did this in protest when the traffic police blocked coaches with peaceful protesters who were heading for Kyiv />

Active participants in the protests in Lviv are being called in for questioning to the prosecutor’s office. Other EuroMaidan activists have been picketing the prosecutor’s office in response.

Trust is inconceivable after Tuesday night’s mass deployment of police against peaceful protesters however negotiations are vital, and real demands which must include an end to the use of the law enforcement bodies and courts as weapons against protesters.

The latest apparent victim of efforts to stifle anti-government protest is a lawyer – Viktor Smaliy, who was defending Road Control journalist Andriy Dzyndzya. In present circumstances, the charge should send a shiver down the spine of many a lawyer. This, presumably, is the desired effect.

On Human Rights Day, Dec 10, the Kyiv Court of Appeal will be examining cases with direct significance for human rights and rule of law in Ukraine. A search carried out the day before with serious procedural infringements only fuels concern.

Please endorse this petition in defence of peaceful protesters and two journalists brutally beaten by Berkut riot police and now in custody on absurd charges.

It is sinister that the first 9 people arrested and remanded in custody for 2 months have nothing in common with the young masked louts who can be seen on videos outside the president’s administration on Bankova St.

Oleksandr is a 32-year-old design engineer He was remanded in custody for 2 months despite having a small daughter, and showing clear signs of the beating he received from Berkut officers while lying on the ground and showing no resistance

45-year-old Valery Garagutz is a journalist and the founder of the Dnipropetrovsk newspaper “Litsa”. Most importantly he was present on Bankova St in his capacity as a journalist, which did not stop law enforcement officers from using their truncheons on him.

27-year-old Yehor Previr was at the demonstration on Dec 1 together with his father and sister. They were separated after the disturbances had already begun, and all contact was lost with Yehor. They only learned that he was in hospital the next evening, and the police and doctors have refused to provide information about the head injuries and concussion almost certainly inflicted after Yehor’s detention

21-year-old Yaroslav Prytulenko was detained in custody for 2 months despite the fact that the allegations against him are based on statements for police officers who were not named and did not appear in court

31-year-old Serhiy Nuzhnenko works in retail and is an avid photographer. Over a number of years he has worked on a voluntary basis taking photos of the children in different children’s homes

40-year-old Yury Bolotov is a private businessman, and the former director of the rock group Okean Elza. He is married with two children. His wife and friends stress that he is very much a family man and not engaged in politics

38-year-old driver Vladislav Zahorovko [or Zagorovko] is married with three children, the youngest an infant. He is the only breadwinner of the family. Amnesty Internaitonal in Ukraine reports that he urgently requires an operation following injuries seemingly inflicted by the riot police on Dec 1

23-year-old Mykola Lazarevsky is an architectural student and an artist. There is video footage showing him being beaten by Berkut riot police and absolutely no evidence of any involvement in the disturbances

41-year-old Gennady Cherevko is from Lubny (Poltava oblast), and little is known about him except that he is married, with two children and not involved in politics at all. And that he was badly beaten by the Berkut riot police and then remanded in custody for 2 months. No evidence was provided to justify this

On Dec 6, Road Control [Dorozhny Kontrol] journalist Amdriy Dzyndzya was remanded in custody for 2 months accused of involvement in the disturbances on Bankova St on Dec 1. He becomes the latest of at least 10 people whose detention raises very serious concerns