The State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has sent an indictment to court against the former President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, and nine former officials for organizing the dispersal and shootings during the protests of the Revolution of Dignity. This was reported by the agency's press service on October 4th.
"SBI employees have completed the investigation of a large-scale case against the former leadership of the state for organizing the dispersal and shootings of demonstrators on February 18-20, 2014. The indictment has been sent to the court", - the statement reads.
As noted, members of a criminal group - former high-ranking officials, including the President of Ukraine, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, the Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine, the First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine - Head of the Anti-Terrorist Center, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the Main Directorate - Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Acting Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kyiv, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Chief of the Police of Public Safety, and the Commander of the Berkut public order police at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Kyiv are all accused of committing these crimes.
It has been established that on February 18-20, 2014, all of them gave orders and made decisions on the use by law enforcement officers, without proper legal grounds and in violation of the norms of the current legislation, of special means, military equipment, firearms for the use of force and the dispersal of demonstrators in the center of the capital and the cessation of protest actions.
According to the SBI, the officials also organized the storming of the Maidan under the guise of an "anti-terrorist operation", and in the morning of February 20, they ordered the shooting of protesters, which was done with abuse of power, official powers, and without any legal basis.
"Such actions of the former president and former heads of law enforcement agencies led to mass casualties among the participants in protest actions in the central part of Kyiv, including the death of 67 civilians. A total of 887 people and 132 law enforcement officers were injured. Material damage amounted to over 16 million hryvnia", - the statement reads.
To avoid responsibility, former officials fled Ukraine, so pre-trial investigation was carried out using a special procedure, and a preventive measure in the form of detention was chosen by the investigating judge against them.
Given that some of the accused are in russian-occupied Crimea, they will be arrested and handed over to the court immediately after the liberation of these territories by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The maximum punishment for the mentioned crimes is life imprisonment.
As previously reported, a former Berkut officer received a real sentence for beating Euromaidan activists.