Several hundred journalists and activists passed through Kyiv with the campaign “Year without Pavеl”

In the center of Kyiv, several hundred journalists, representatives of public organizations and activists took part in the campaign to commemorate journalist Pavel Sheremet, who in recent years was a co-founder of the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth) and who was killed on the morning of July 20, 2016, by unknown criminals.

As reported by reporter of the Human Rights Information Centre.

The campaign began at 8 a.m. at the site of Pavel’s murder – the intersection of Ivana Franka and Bohdana Khmel’nyts’koho streets. Where the car exploded, in which Pavel was driving home that morning.

The organizers have installed a big billboard on that place with a photo of Sheremet and the question “Who killed Pavel?”. The participants have lit 365 candles under the billboard – for each day of the year that passed without Pavel.

Sheremet’s favorite music was playing on the intersection. The patrol police was on duty around the campaign and the roadway of Ivana Franka Street, where the participants stood, was blocked.

People’s deputies Mustafa Nayem, Serhiy Leshchenko, Svitlana Zalishchuk have also visited the campaign.

There were also participants from Belarus who held the Belarusian flag. As a reminder, Pavel Sheremet was Belarusian by origin and has launched several well-known media projects in Minsk. In particular, the “Belarusian Partisan”.

Almost the whole staff of the Ukrayinska Pravda came to the memorial event, Sheremet’s colleagues were dressed in black T-shirts with the inscription “Who killed Pavel?”.

“With this campaign we want to remind that we have not forgot about this murder. It should be investigated”, – noted Sevgil Musayeva, Chief Editor of the Ukrayinska Pravda.

The participants have made an inscription “Who killed Pavel?” with the stencil on the roadway of the crossroad, where the Sheremet’s car exploded.

Later, the column of participants have passed through Khreshchatyk and Instytutska streets to the Administration of the President of Ukraine on the Bankova Street.

They have also made several inscriptions “Who killed Pavel?” there, in front of the Presidential Administration.

Not a single employee of the Administration went to the participants who wanted to pass a statement about the investigation of Pavel’s murder.

Afterwards, the column has passed to the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the Pylypa Orlyka Street.

They have attacked a banner stating “Who killed Pavel?” directly to the doors of the institution.

Representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Artem Shevchenko went out to the participants of the campaign.

He said that at the last press conference law enforcers have told about Sheremet’s murder everything that they could, – investigators are not allowed to reveal new information.

“We can not say more, because the investigation wants to solve this crime”, – he said and when asked how long it will take, Shevchenko replied: “As much as the investigation will need”.

According to him, “not exactly one” is in the circle of those involved, but there is no clear suspect or suspects.

“We can not boast of having suspects”, – Shevchenko said.

Regarding former SBU employee Igor Ustymenko, Shevchenko has not disclosed the details of his interrogation, he was “not authorized” to access details by investigators.

Another campaign is planned on Thursday in Minsk, where Pavel Sheremet is buried.

As a reminder, Pavel Sheremet was killed on the morning of July 20 in the center of Kyiv, when a bomb was planted in his car. The investigation tends to the version about the professional motives of the murder, but neither the organizers nor the performers of the explosion were established.

Journalists from the “Investigation.Info” project in the documentary “Killing Pavel” have established that the explosives were planted in the car by a woman during the night, she was covered by a man – they were also at the site of explosion on the morning of July 20.

In addition, there were suspicious red Mercedes and gray Skoda that night at the house where Sheremet lived. The driver of Skoda car is Igor Ustymenko who was a former SBU employee. The Security Service of Ukraine has stated the he was not fulfilling the tasks of the department. On May 15, Ustymenko was interrogated.

The police admitted that they have made mistakes in the investigation of Sheremet’s murder.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) stated that a year of investigation into Sheremet’s murder had not yielded any results and offered to conduct an international investigation. They do not exclude the possibility that the authorities of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine may be involved in Sheremet’s murder.

President Petro Poroshenko offered to incorporate an internationally recognized investigator into the Ukrainian team investigating the Sheremet case.