Tragic events at the Kyiv Maidan between 30 November 2013 and 22 February 2014 resulted in the deaths of over 100 civilians and some 13 members of the police force, and in grave injuries of very many more.
“The effective investigation of unlawful killings and serious ill-treatment is all the more crucial when those violent acts constitute a turning point in a State’s history, as they were in the case of the Maidan demonstrations. In such cases, investigations and prosecutions, bringing as they should truth and accountability, constitute an important means of ensuring a solid transition from that episode of violence to the next more positive chapter. This is, indeed a form of transitional justice,” said the International Advisory Panel of the Council of Europe in its statement published on the 27th of November, in which the Panel is outlining its past and future work.
The International Advisory Panel was set up by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in April 2014. It seeks to establish whether the investigations into the Maidan events meet all the requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights - that the investigations are independent, carried out promptly and expeditiously, adequate and effective and that there is sufficient public scrutiny and sufficient involvement of the victims or the families of the victims.
The Panel itself does not conduct investigations, neither does it examine individual cases – this is the task of the Ukrainian investigatory authorities themselves.
The Panel is chaired by Sir Nicolas Bratza, former President of the European Court of Human Rights. The other two members are Mr. Volodymyr Butkevych, a former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, and Mr. Oleg Anpilogov, a former prosecutor of Ukraine.
The work of the Panel to date has included the search for information from various authorities and NGOs, as well as substantive meetings with them. The Panel aims to conclude its enquires, to obtain final submissions and to receive up-to-date information on the state of the investigations as at 30 November 2014, and to finalise and adopt its report in early 2015.
As soon as the Maidan-related work of the Panel has reached an advanced stage of completion, the Panel will begin its review of the investigations related to the tragic events in Odessa of 2 May 2014.
“The Panel understands that the expectations on the part of the people in Ukraine and beyond its borders are high,” the Panel said in the statement, expressing hope that it “will be able to make a lasting contribution to restoring public confidence and to bringing closure to both these unhappy chapters in Ukraine’s history.”
Chair of the International Advisory Panel on Ukraine before the Committee of Ministers
Strasbourg, 19 November 2014
The anniversary of the first chapter of the tragic events of the Maidan demonstrations of 30 November approaches. Six months ago the International Advisory Panel on Ukraine began its work supervising the criminal investigations being conducted by the national authorities into all Maidan-related violence.
A further round of written submissions was conducted in October by the Panel and, last week, it held detailed meetings in Kyiv with representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office and of the Ministry of the Interior as well as with the Chief of the State Security Service. Further written queries will follow in the coming days including, notably, a request to the relevant investigating authorities for a final status report on the Maidan-related investigations as of 30 November, the cut-off date for the Panel’s enquiries.
Today, 19 of November 2014, the Chair of the Panel, Sir Nicolas Bratza, attended a meeting of the Committee of Ministers to provide an overview of the Panel’s work. He explained that the Panel’s objective is to conclude its enquiries, having obtained final submissions and up-to-date information as of 30 November, and to adopt its report on the Maidan-related investigations in early 2015. Moreover, Sir Nicolas recalled that, as soon as the Maidan-related work of the Panel has reached an advanced stage of completion, the Panel will begin its review of the authorities’ investigations into the relevant events in Odessa of 2 May 2014, namely in early 2015. Following the interventions in response of several Delegations, the Chair of the Committee of Ministers expressed the Committee’s appreciation for Sir Nicolas’ visit and reiterated its support for the important work of the Panel.
See also:
Ukraine and the Council of Europe
