A member of ICTY: Over 2000 people have suffered from crimes against humanity committed by Yanukovych regime

The above statement was made by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine Mr Volodymyr Vasylenko, a member of the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (2001-2005), addressing the 7^th Kyiv Security Forum on Friday.

‘To date, the Civic Commission for Investigation and Prevention of Human Rights Violations that I am chairing now, has registered over 2000 applications from the Ukrainian citizens and foreigners  who have become victims of crimes against humanity,’ he declared.

Mr Vasylenko stressed that Russian special services are also implicated in these crimes. ‘While special units subordinated to Yanukovych have committed numerous crimes against humanity, members of certain Russian special services can also be implicated.’

The most outrageous of these crimes, in the former ICTY member’s opinion, were ‘the killings of over 100 persons by snipers of death squads,’ done on February 18-20, which should be considered mass killings. ‘Over and above, other crimes have been committed, such as torturing, forceful disappearances, arbitrary detention and other forms of violent restriction of physical liberty’. Mr Vasylenko pointed out that another hundred persons who have been abducted are still missing.

The member of ICTY expressed his hope that the new Ukrainian government, which has already launched investigations into the crimes committed by the ancien régime, will be able to complete the procedure and the case will be brought before the International Criminal Court.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The 2-day agenda of Kyiv Security Forum offers six panels, all open to the media. Any changes to the agenda will be posted on the Forum’s web-site.

Media professionals can make use of the press centre with work stations, Wi-Fi access, and live broadcast of all the panels. In addition, there is a special media corner in the conference room.

Organizers are ready to facilitate individual interviews with and comments from the Forum speakers on advance notice.

The annual international event, Kyiv Security Forum, was initiated by Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007. It is a platform for debates on the hottest European and Black Sea security issues. The purpose of the Forum is to enhance cooperation in the security sector between the EU and the Black Sea region, raise awareness on security developments among key players, and increasing the role of independent and non-government actors in identifying solutions to security challenges in Europe.

The event is supported by Victor Pinchuk Foundation, NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine and the Chatham House, UK.

Visit http://ksf.openukraine.org/ for more information on the project

Open Ukraine Foundation is an international charity created on Arseniy Yatseniuk’s initiative for the purpose of strengthening public diplomacy and building up Ukraine’s image globally. The Foundation achieves its goals through implementation of its key programs, e.g.: International Dialogue, Cultural Horizons, Young Leaders. The Foundation brings together a broad range of donors and individuals that care about Ukraine’s image and its future.

For additional info on the Foundation please visit: http://openukraine.org.