15:25 19.07.2017

Amnesty International calls for investigation of Sheremet's murder

2 min read

Secretary General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty has called on the Ukrainian authorities to investigate the murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet.

"#Ukraine: one year after journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed by a bomb in his car and still no justice. Investigate #WhoKilledSheremet!" Shetty wrote on Twitter.

Amnesty International noted that the investigators failed to identify Sheremet's killers, and did not provide evidence on any of the lines of inquiry.

"Despite a large number of investigative actions and an array of processed video materials, to date, an operative investigation team led by the head of the National Police of Ukraine could not identify the perpetrators of the murder. The investigation also did not provide any convincing evidence on any of the official lines of inquiry," reads a statement posted on the organization's website.

Human rights activists also recalled that in a letter dated May 19, 2017, the Interior Ministry of Ukraine reported that the pre-trial investigation into the murder of Sheremet "is supervised by the leadership of the National Police of Ukraine."

The organization plans to hold a rally dubbed 'A Year without Pavlo' in memory of the deceased journalist on July 20, 2017.

As reported, a car belonging to Olena Prytula, the head of the Ukrayinska Pravda online publication, was blown up while Sheremet was driving it in central Kyiv at 7:45 a.m. on July 20, 2016. The journalist died on the spot soon after the explosion. Investigators said they believed that Sheremet was killed due to his journalistic activity in Ukraine and other countries.

In recent days, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has held a meeting with the Sheremet family and CPJ representatives. The law enforcement agencies should deliver a public report on the findings of the investigation shortly, he said.

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