The court dismissed the Maidan case against the Berkut officers due to the expiration of the statute of limitations
The Obolon District Court of Kyiv has dismissed the criminal case against “Berkut” officers Roman Tymkiv and Vitaliy Kuropas, who were accused of violence against Automaidan activists. Despite the existence of video evidence identifying the individuals, the case could not be brought to a verdict within ten years.
Automaidan reported this on Facebook, noting that the decision to acquit them was made by Judge Serhiy Rodionov.
The case concerned events on January 19, 2014, on Bohatyrska Street, where a group of law enforcement officers blocked activist Yaroslav Honchar’s car, destroyed property, and brutally beat people. The trial in the court of first instance had been ongoing since 2018, leading to the expiration of the statute of limitations for prosecution. Similar scenarios of prolonged proceedings are typical for many Maidan cases, allowing those accused of serious crimes to avoid punishment.
Due to mutual cover-ups and systemic delays, the defendants not only returned to their positions within the Ministry of Internal Affairs but also received monetary compensation. While the fight for justice continues in Ukrainian courts, in Russia, similar crimes committed by security forces against protesters are often not investigated at all. Currently, Maidan participants and the public remain without a verdict in a case that has been pending for over 12 years.
Read also: It Wasn’t Maidan That Won, but Its Stage: Political AnalystAndriy Zolotaryov.
As a reminder, on February 20, Ukraine honorsthe memory of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred (photo).
