The Security Service of Ukraine become an instrument to persecute activists. Such statement was made by representatives of human rights organizations of Ukraine. The post, referring on an article of the Center of the Information on human rights was published in Facebook by Tatiana Pechonchik.
An open appeal of human rights activists about the opening of a number of criminal proceedings against public organizations and activists refers to a series of searches that employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police conducted in the offices of public organizations that are fighting corruption.
‘On october 11, the investigators of National police and General Prosecutor’s office have made a search and seizure of documents from office of the Charitable Foundation ‘Patients of Ukraine’. The accusation against the leadership of the organization, as well as the All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH and the Public Health Alliance in appropriating the funds of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as financing the so-called ‘LPR/DPR’ has become a base for such actions’, tells the message.
It’s noted in the article, that ‘Global Foundation’ regularly conducts an international audit to check the target using of provided funds and according to its results there are no claims to it.
‘Patients of Ukraine’, Network of PLWH and the Public Health Alliance are well-known for their long-term work, which prevents the emergence and existence of corruption schemes in the health sector’, is noted in the message.
The situation when the SBU officers searched and detained several activists of the ‘Autonomny opir’ (Autonomous Resistance) organization on suspicion of preparing ‘protest actions ordered by the Kremlin propagandists’ is described in this open appeal too.
Later activists were informed that they are in the witness status and they were released. In spite of categorical tone of public accusations, the Security Service didn’t provide any facts confirming the above criminal activity to overthrow the constitutional order.
The detainees themselves associate this incident with their struggle against illegal construction in the city of Lviv.
‘Using of stamp ‘Kremlin agent’ becomes more and more popular means to avenge people or organizations, who expose illegal actions of state officials or don’t support certain decisions of state bodies or their officials’, is noted in the appeal.
The Center of the Information on human rights considers that ‘such policy absolutely copies authoritarian practices of the Russian Federation and will inevitably lead to the fact that any criticism of the current government will be regarded as an attempt to political destabilization in the country’.
An open appeal was signed by a number of human rights and public organizations.