Crimean parliament expecting international response to Donetsk governor's arrest
MOSCOW. March 11 (Interfax) - The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea approved at its Tuesday plenary session a statement over the arrest of Donetsk region "people's governor" Pavlo Hubarev.
"The statement has been sent to the UN (United Nations) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and to the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights," the parliament announced on its website.
The statement, which is also available on the website, says that Hubarev was arrested by Ukrainian security officers in his flat early morning on March 6.
"Hubarev is charged with attempting to seize power, encroaching on the constitutional regime and seizing government buildings. And that is against the backdrop of similar precedents being created by the current authorities themselves, which, by demonstrating brutal force against Ukrainians who disagree with them, have been trying to influence the public conscience. The selective approach to the administration of justice is obvious," the statement's authors said.
About 2,000 criminal cases against "Maidan defenders" have been closed under Ukrainian law titled "On the elimination of negative effects and prevention of prosecution and penalizing of individuals for the events which took place during peaceful assemblies," the authors recalled.
"The amnesty for these violators of the law demonstrated the criminal loyalty of the Ukrainian law-enforcement authorities to the individuals who committed, in the eyes of the whole world, arson, violence, destruction of government and communal property, acts of vandalism and other lawlessness. The Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is seriously concerned by the current gross violation of the constitutional principle of the rule of law proclaimed in Ukraine," the statement said.
The fundamental democratic principle - the guarantee and respect for human and civil rights must be respected in a democratic country, according to the Crimean parliament.
"These are the values which are to be primarily protected in every sphere of the political and public life, including during the administration of justice. Since Ukraine is a member of the UN and the Council of Europe, the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea considers it necessary to appeal to the human-rights bodies of these international organizations to draw their attention and assess the situation over human rights and liberties in Ukraine in connection with the arrest of Pavlo Hubarev," the statement said.