Prosecutor general says force an option when restoring order in Kyiv center

12:38, 09.07.2014 1 min read

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Vitaliy Yarema has said he does not rule out the use of force if the residents of the tent camp on Independence Square and activists who remain in administrative buildings in the center of Kyiv offer armed resistance to law enforcement agencies during their eviction from the occupied territories.

"The option of force is possible. If there is armed resistance, police officers have the right to use their weapons," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

However, when asked by reporters whether this means that there will be a violent confrontation between police officers and "Maidan activists," Yarema noted that "there will be no confrontation" and that people would be detained if they offer resistance.

He also added that law enforcement officers would take measures if the Maidan participants "do not vacate the captured buildings today, tomorrow, or in the near future."

Yarema said that according to latest reports, 19 government buildings remained captured in Kyiv.