The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Unions records a range of fundamental breaches of human rights preconditioned by the military conflict in the east of Ukraine. The most material ones include the fact that Ukraine ignores crimes against mankind and war laws.

In this case, an issue of responsibility of Russia for separatists’ acts in the ATO area is raised for the first time. The case integrates 5 cases containing, in particular, complaints regarding freedom from torture, illegal capture and infringement of the right to life.

By the Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine as of 29.12.1999 the “death penalty” was deemed unconstitutional. With a delay of four years Ukraine has fulfilled its obligations before the Council of Europe. However for the period from the date of accession to the Council of Europe in November 1995 until March 17, 1997 when the President just stopped to give his consent to the execution 217 people sentenced to death were executed, although they had to stay alive.

We require a thorough and all-round investigation of the Odessa tragedy circumstances, and institution of corresponding proceedings against all guilty parties including Odessa militia officials who have not taken necessary measures to detain and to disarm the provocateurs for attacking the peaceful march.

In recommendations on how to behave in contact with the police, human rights groups advise people to never go to the police station if you haven’t received a summons. An invitation by telephone is not grounds for going. Even with a summons do not go there alone. Take relatives, a lawyer. The reason for such measures is simple – otherwise you could disappear.

Marina Hovorukhina suggests that the message to foreign security services from Ukraine’s Interior Ministry regarding the abduction of Leonid Razvozzhaev is that abductions are no problem with the authorities ready to call them special operations and turn a blind eye.

Russian opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhaev has been remanded in custody for two months just two days after being abducted in broad daylight from outside the UNHCR Office in Kyiv. Razvozzhaev had just lodged an application for political asylum.

Ukraine’s leaders’ faith in the power of committees is misguided. Assurances that a committee has been created to investigate this violation or that may have washed – with some – two years ago. If they are still offered as a panacea for all Ukraine’s democratic aches and pains, then presumably those in the frontline of criticism have no other ammunition. Or hope they can make it to cover before being exposed.

The authorities have not only failed to investigate the hazardous chemical contamination which civic activist Volodymyr Honcharenko warned about 4 days before he was murdered, but have misled the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee leaving Ukrainian NGOs with no choice but to set the record straight. The following letter was sent on 17 September (the list of signatory organizations is below).

At his last press conference on 27 July 2012, environmentalist Volodymyr Honcharenko called the drawn-out saga over chemically contaminated heat exchangers which he was exposing a “detective story”. It is now for the investigators to determine whether the fatal attack on Mr Honcharenko just four days later was an episode in this crime story.

It is terrifying – and unacceptable – to think that in today’s Ukraine those who expose inconvenient information of public importance can be killed. Please endorse the following appeal by writing to realnazahroza@gmail.com (please mention Volodymyr Honcharenko in the title).

Regular media monitoring keeps us informed about the ever increasing number of issues muffled on Ukrainian television. The perennial problem with constantly pointing to the illness, of course, is that end up quoting the statistics while scarcely reacting. How much can you write, speak out, or sign various appeals if there is no response? Or worse, when there’s only cynical manipulation?

Just over a week has passed since the murder of a man who saw one of Ukraine’s main problems as being the lack of access to information. Environmentalist Volodymyr Honcharenko did all in his power to inform the Ukrainian public, and the authorities, about toxic chemicals, dangerous levels of radiation, excessive concentration of lead in the region’s water supply and much more.

A meeting in memory of Ihor Indylo, the young student who died in police custody in the early hours of 18 May 2010 led to a meeting with the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office who assured those present that they were eager to work with them. The representatives of Amnesty International in Ukraine; the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union; the Centre for Human Rights Information and the Regional Initiatives Foundation passed on an appeal, addressed to the Prosecutor General, Viktor Pshonka.

The Kyiv Court of Appeal has ordered further investigation in the criminal prosecution of two police officers charged of involvement in the death of Ihor Indylo in the Shevchenkivsky Police Station in Kyiv in May 2010.