SBI: 40 verdicts were handed down in Maidan cases, 49 people were convicted

Author:
Anna Kholodnova
Date:

In 10 years, 82 criminal cases related to the events of the Revolution of Dignity were instituted in Ukraine. As of November 21, 2023, 40 verdicts were handed down in Maidan cases, and 49 people were convicted.

This was reported to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

In particular, in October, SBI completed the investigation of the largest Maidan case. The indictment against the former leadership of Ukraine was referred to the court. It features:

  • ex-president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych;
  • former Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaliy Zakharchenko;
  • former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Viktor Ratushniak;
  • ex-head of SBU Oleksandr Yakymenko;
  • the first deputy of Yakymenko and ex-director of the Anti-Terrorist Center Volodymyr Totskyi;
  • former Minister of Defense Pavlo Lebedev;
  • ex-commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Stanislav Shulyak;
  • former acting head of the main department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv Valerii Koryak;
  • the head of the public security police and commander of the Berkut metropolitan unit Dmytro Belyaev.

The criminal proceedings against them unite 1 019 episodes and number 1 878 volumes.

In total, in 2023, 28 indictments against 55 people were sent to court.

SBI has completed its investigation into 13 former law enforcement officers who shot activists on February 20, 2014.

Also in 2023, 66 people received suspicions. Including:

  • the former head of the Department of Public Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Ukraine in Kyiv Oleh Marynenko — for unlawfully obstructing the holding of meetings with excess of power;
  • the former commander of the Berkut Military Police of Ukraine in Sevastopol Oleksandr Cherednychenko for treason and encroachment on the territorial integrity of the state;
  • former judge of the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv — for illegal detention orders for three protesters, issued on December 3, 2013;
  • a civilian — for the abduction on the night of January 20-21, 2014 of participants in the "Euromaidan" protest actions Ihor Lutsenko and Yury Verbytskyi, torturing both and the intentional killing of Verbytskyi;
  • former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Yakymenko, first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine — head of the Anti-Terrorist Center at the Security Service of Ukraine Totskyi and head of the Department of Protection of National Statehood of the Security Service of Ukraine — for treason;
  • 20 employees of the FSB of the Russian Federation for aiding in the commission of treason, as well as actions aimed at inciting national, religious enmity and hatred.

Given the fact that some of the accused are hiding in the temporarily occupied territory, they will be taken into custody and brought to court immediately after their release from the Russians.

  • On November 21, 2013, Euromaidan began in Ukraine, after Viktor Yanukovych stopped preparations for signing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. The protests turned into anti-government protests and gained a larger scale after the police dispersed the students on November 30. In February 2014, the shooting of demonstrators led to the overthrow of the Yanukovych regime.
  • The Euromaidan events were called the Revolution of Dignity, and the dead were called the Heavenly Hundred. According to the prosecutorʼs office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 107 people died during the revolution. Another 2.5 thousand people were injured.