Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe worried that Ukrainian Euromaidan cases are still under consideration after 10 years

The Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers has assessed Ukraine's implementation of the rulings given by the European Convention on Human Rights in cases relating to the 2013-2014 Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity, and expressed concern that, 10 years later, the vast majority of criminal proceedings remain pending in national courts.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the conclusions of the Committee

Details: In particular, the Committee stated "with regret" that some criminal proceedings against law enforcement officers or non-state actors involved in human rights violations during these events were suspended by national courts due to the expiration of the statute of limitations in the case of Shmorhunov and Others, as well as Ihor Lutsenko and Yurii Verbytskyi's cases.

The Committee is concerned that, 10 years later, the vast majority of criminal proceedings remain pending in national courts, with some in the pre-trial stage.

The findings highlight the possibility that certain crimes may have a statute of limitations.

The Committee urged the authorities to expedite the pre-trial investigation and complete the court proceedings as soon as possible, as well as to investigate alternative measures of compensation for damage to ensure that the "termination of criminal proceedings due to prescription does not indulge impunity".

The Committee noted that in some cases, compensation payments were returned to the state budget as unclaimed after one year, and urged the authorities to address this issue.

The Committee also expressed regret that a large number of cases involving these events had lost their relevance. The committee urged the authorities to "redouble their efforts" and complete outstanding criminal proceedings as soon as possible, as well as to "continue to effectively inform the public on their progress".

In January 2021, the ECHR issued decisions in the cases of Shmorhunov and Others v. Ukraine, Lutsenko and Verbytskyi v. Ukraine, Kadur and Smalii v. Ukraine, Dubovtsev and Others v. Ukraine, and Vorontsov and Others v. Ukraine.

The court accused Ukraine of numerous human rights violations, including the death of at least one protester.

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