15:05 06.12.2013

Brussels urges Kyiv to investigate violence against demonstrators

2 min read
Brussels urges Kyiv to investigate violence against demonstrators

The European Union is continuing to closely follow the developments in Ukraine and again calls on the Ukrainian authorities to conduct an investigation and provide information about missing persons and those responsible and to bring the latter to account, Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, has said.

"We've been following the situation very closely. We've spoken on a number of occasions about the violence that we have seen. We have explicitly requested an investigation into the excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators, and this request also includes the need for information regarding reported missing persons. What we have said very clearly is that all civil rights and liberties, including freedom of speech, freedom of the media, freedom of assembly, need to be respected. We will continue to call on the authorities to conduct this investigation, and this, as I said, should also include information about reported missing people and violence that has occurred," she said at a press briefing in Brussels on Friday.

When asked that nobody in Ukraine has currently been punished for the recent events, Kocijancic said that the European Commission's request to conduct the investigation also includes the request to bring those responsible to justice.

AD
AD
AD
AD
AD