National Bank, Prosecutor General, an MP called ‘thistles of the year’

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin, judge of the Solomyansky District Court in Kyiv Oleksandr Bobrovnyk, and the National Bank of Ukraine became the winners of the anti-award “Thistle of the Year.”

The anti-award, founded by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, is aimed at highlighting the flagrant violations of human rights that occurred in the country during the year and intensifying public effort to notice threatening human rights trends in the domestic legal system.

“For me, the ‘Thistle’ anti-award is the indicator of how the community takes control over the government,” lawyer, jury member Ivan Lishchyna said.

This year their “Thistle” anti-award was also given to Colonel Viktor Buhyra for the use of unlawful methods of investigation and MP Kostiantyn Mateychenko for the most dangerous legislative initiative in the field of human rights.

Larysa Denysenko, the human rights activist, the jury member, said: “Each member of the jury had their own ‘favorites.’ My personal favorite is the National Bank and its decree, which has discriminated so many our citizens, recognizing Crimean people as non-residents.”

Another Denysenko’s “favorite” is MP Kostiantyn Mateychenko, who submitted to the Parliament the bill on introducing the criminal liability for criticizing the government.

“I understand it could be his emotional message. … But, you should use your brain, not only emotions. If this bill had been passed, it would have inevitably affected the journalists, whose task is to comprehensively examine, beg your pardon, “whims and nonsense” of the government,” Larysa Denysenko commented.

All the winners will be awarded the real dry thistles, which are gathered on Friday, the 13th, at the Poklonna Hill in Kyiv.

PR manager of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union Maryna Hovorukhina noted that the effectiveness of the “Thistle” is evident.

And this time, for the first time for the eight years of existence of the anti-award, there was an adequate reaction from the nominees. In particular, three nominees submitted letters of explanation why they are “not worthy of such distinction.”

“There is also such a trend, everyone who receives the ‘Thistle’ award loses something in the career growth. Some time ago, Lutsenko was awarded the ‘Thistle’. Several weeks later, he was imprisoned. It is better not to violate human rights,” Hovorukhina said seriously.

The expert of also added that many applications on the anti-award had been sent, but not all of them were selected as many applicants wrote about their problems, but they had nothing to do with the human rights.