Court incarcerated "Svoboda" activists for 2 months

Court incarcerated "Svoboda" activists for the period of 2 months for participating in the skirmish with "Berkut", the elite police unit.

Court ruled to keep Oleh Matiash - an individual with a category 3 disability, an activist of #euromaidan with a law degree - incarcerated for 60 days, because he is "potentially dangerous to society," as Member of Parliament (MP) Volodymyr Ariev informed Ukrayinska Pravda. 

According to him, Matiash was charged based on article 296, part 4 of the criminal code - "hooliganism", which is punishable by a jail sentence of 3 to 7 years.

Ariev noted that there was no evidence against Matiash, and the court made its decision despite the fact that the plaintiff - a victimized member of the elite police unit "Berkut" - stated that he did not seek medical assistance and did not have any health issues as a result of the skirmish.

"However, the judge drew a conclusion that since Matiash has a law degree, he represents a particular menace to society, and she chose for him a preventive method in form of 60 days of incarceration", - remarked the MP.

Oleh Matiash was arrested after the skirmish of the Euromaidan protesters with "Berkut" near the building of the Cabinet of Ministers, several hours after the event, along with several other activists, including the son of Tetiana Sliuz, MP from "Batkivschchyna" (Fatherland) faction.

Later, all those arrested were released, but Matiash addressed the law enforcement with the petition about the illegal actions of "Berkut". He was arrested again at Pechersk district police station, where he was also charged. During his transfer to the jail for preliminary incarceration, according to Ariev, Matiash was beaten up, despite the fact that had already been diagnosed with a concussion and blunt force traumas.

Later, after reviewing the case of another "Svoboda" activist Vitaliy Blahodarnyi, the court once more made a decision to incarcerate him for 2 months, according to Oleksandr Aronets, a representative of "Svoboda".

Euromaidan activists Vitaliy Blahodarnyi and Oleh Matiash were arrested on November 25, after a skirmish of the protesters with "Berkut" near the building of the Cabinet of Ministers. That same evening they were transferred from Pechersk discrict police station to Podil jail of preliminary incarceration.

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