Former “Berkut” officer, who has beaten AutoMaidan activists, was arrested for 30 days

On July 17, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv has elected a preventive measure in the form of an arrest for 30 days for former “Berkut” special unit officer Bogdan Melnyk, who is suspected of attacking AutoMaidan activists on January 23, 2014.

As reported by the Ukrainian Week internet publication.

The decision was announced by investigating judge Pidpalyi.

“The prosecutor’s motion can be partially satisfied by applying detention for a period of one month until August 13, 2017. The arrest starts on July 15, that is, from the moment of detention”, – the judge said.

The decision can be appealed in the Court of Appeal, however, only the operative part was announced in the courtroom, since the writing of the full resolution takes a long time, the full text will be announced on July 21.

The detainee is suspected of attacking activists on Shchorsa Street and in Kriposnyi Lane in Kyiv.

Representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office noted that the suspect was on the wanted list for a year and a half and was detained on June 15 in the Chernivtsi region.

The suspect resigned from the police in March 2014 and from that moment, according to information provided by the Prosecutor’s Office, worked as a handyman.

On the day of detention, law enforcers discovered that he had a ticket from Zhmerynka to Odessa. Law enforcers suppose that the detainee was planning to flee.

At the same time, the suspect himself commented to journalists that he admits his guilt, is ready to cooperate with the investigation. He added that he was not aware of the search and tried to persuade the representatives of the Prosecutor’s Office that he was not hiding and had no such intentions.

As is known, in early January 2014, volunteers guarded the protesters hospitalized from Hrushevsky Street and Maidan Nezalezhnosti, so they would not be taken by the police. On the night of January 23, calls for help appeared on the AutoMaidan radio channel – there was information about the gathering of titushkas near the 17th hospital. Strike group consisting of militiamen and titushkas was waiting for the AutoMaidan cars, which arrived to the call from hospital. The cars were demolished and their owners were beaten and detained. The Pecherskyi District Police Department refused to detain them and they were transferred to the Darnytsia Department, where proceedings were initiated against them for participation in “mass riots”, which threatened to imprison them for 15 years. Other AutoMaidan activists, who tried to save their comrades and pursued the busses with detainees, were ambushed by the “Berkut” on Kriposnyi Lane. They were also beaten, cars were smashed and criminal cases were initiated against them.