Police violence and the Maidan investigations
European Court of Human Rights judgments traced police dispersals, injuries and detentions during the 2013–14 Maidan protests.
Timeline
- 1 December 2013: Police use force against protesters in a confrontation later reviewed by the courts.
- 19 January 2014: A separate confrontation develops on Hrushevskoho Street.
- 2016: A domestic court convicts one officer over the December episode.
- 2021: The European court issues its Maidan judgments.
What happened
In January 2014 on Hrushevskoho Street, protesters threw stones and burning objects and police used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons. In a separate episode on 1 December 2013, the court examined force against protesters and the later domestic prosecution of a police officer.
Case outcomes
The Pecherskyy District Court convicted one officer in July 2016 of negligently failing to protect protesters from police violence. The European court later found multiple Convention violations in the cases before it. These rulings concern specific participants and incidents. Shmorgunov and Others v. Ukraine
Two episodes in the court record
The 1 December 2013 police operation and the 19 January 2014 clashes form separate episodes. The domestic conviction cited above concerns failure to protect protesters from police violence in December. In January, the court recorded force by police and violence by some protesters after a march encountered a blocked street. Linking the conviction to the later clash would misstate the record.
The European court’s five judgments addressed several applicants and incidents. Its findings on excessive force, detention and investigation were rulings on the state’s obligations under the Convention. The 2016 conviction was a separate decision about an individual officer under domestic law. Court summary of the five judgments