23/01/2014 Monitoring
Strasbourg, 23.01.2014 - Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) and Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden, EPP/CD), the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Ukraine by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), have strongly condemned the escalating violence at the Euro-maidan protest, which has already resulted in at least three fatalities, two reportedly as a result of police bullets. “We condemn both the violent provocations by a group of radical protesters as well as the unwarranted and excessive use of force used by the police and security forces to break up the protests, whether provoked or not,” said the two co-rapporteurs.
The co-rapporteurs urged all sides to refrain from violence and called on the authorities not to break up the Maidan protest by force. “Any restrictions on the freedom of association or violations of the human rights of peaceful protesters are unacceptable. It is now important that both sides agree on a negotiated and peaceful solution to this rapidly-escalating political crisis. Such an agreement should be based on pledges by both sides not to use violence, the immediate repeal of the so-called anti-protest laws - which are the cause of the escalation - and the immediate start of an open, serious and effective dialogue between those in power and the political and civil forces united in the Euro-maidan protests about the future democratic direction and geopolitical alignment of the country,” said the two co-rapporteurs.
Concerned about the rapidly-escalating political crisis and human rights violations in that context, the co-rapporteurs have requested an urgent debate on the political developments in Ukraine to be held during next week’s plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg (27-31 January 2014). “The Assembly will have to take a clear position on these developments. It cannot be business as usual for Ukraine in this context,” the co-rapporteurs said.