Ukrainians are against closed candidate lists and a mixed electoral system. This was what a study carried out by the Civic Consortium of Electoral Initiatives between 8 and 15 August 2011 found. Yet parliamentarians have drawn up a draft Law on the Parliamentary Elections [lit: on the Elections of National Deputies of Ukraine] which envisages a change of the proportional system with closed candidate lists to a mixed system.

The Pechersky District Court in Kyiv on Monday passed sentence in the trial of Ihor Didenko, issuing a three year suspended sentence. He was sentenced under Article 344 § 2 of the Criminal Code. As well as the suspended sentence he was stripped of the right to hold managerial positions linked with administration of any enterprises, regardless of their form of ownership.

The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement Body Legislation has asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs [MIA], the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Kyiv City State Administration [KCSA] to explain on what grounds the police obstructed a peaceful opposition procession on 24 August in Kyiv and applied special means against members of the public.

The Crimean Prosecutor’s Office informs that “a district court has convicted three officers of the Bakhchysarai Police Station.

The delegation of the State party was led by Ambassador Mykola MAIMESKUL, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations in Geneva, and comprised Mr. Sergii TIKHONOV, Expert of the Department of Criminal Investigations of the Ministry of Interior; Mrs. Liubov SHPYNIAK; Expert of the Department on Refugees, State Migration Service; Mr. Sergii YUREV, Expert of the Department on Human Rights, Ministry of Justice; and Mrs. Antonina SHLIAKOTINA, Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine in Geneva.

The State Statistics Service has published population figures which show that as of 1 July this year the population stood at 45 million 675 thousand, this being 6.27 million less than 20 years ago.

According to Valentina Telychenko, the lawyer representing Myroslava Gongadze, the court has sent the material in the trial against Oleksy Pukach back to the Prosecutor General’s Office for further investigation.

One could welcome the declarations of the authorities regarding the need to fight corruption, misuse and impunity among public officials. However the charges brought against members of the opposition: Yulia Tymoshenko; Yury Lutsenko; Yevhen Korniychuk; Bohdan Danylyshyn; Valery Ivashchenko; Ihor Didenko and Anatoly Makarenko are at very least dubious.

The court on Monday morning rejected the application from the former Prime Minister’s defence to cancel the order remanding her in custody.

The court, presided over by Judge Rodion Kireyev, has just arrested former Prime Minister and leader of the Batkivshchyna Party, Yulia Tymoshenko. The Ukrainska Pravda correspondent reports that a convoy arrived at the court to take her into custody.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your intervention in the following situation in Belarus.

According to the Human Rights Centre "Viasna", its leader and vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) Ales Bialjatski was arrested today in his apartment in Minsk. His location at the moment is unknown. There is a search taking place at his apartment.

Dementiy Bily, journalist and human rights activist has confirmed that following public appeals to the Prosecutor regarding the absurdity of initiating criminal proceedings against him, the case was dropped. There had been reports a week ago that the case had been reinstated.

Oleksandr Volodarsky has been released after serving a sentence from 1 March this year in a corrective institution outside Kyiv.

The partnership “For Honest Public Procurement in Ukraine” has published an open appeal stressing the need for an unbiased assessment of the situation with Ministry of Heath tenders. The letter is addressed to the President and copied to the Prime Minister and Minister of Health.