Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court has decided to detain for two months all nine young people who are suspected of organizing mass riots on Bankova Street near the presidential administration on Dec. 1, Kyiv prosecutor's spokeswoman, Yana Sobolevevska, has told Interfax-Ukraine.
“Given the gravity of the crime and public danger of the article under which they are suspected, and after reviewing all evidence in criminal proceedings, investigating judges (there were three of them) decided to select the measure of restraint for all nine of them in the form of detention,” she said early on Wednesday.
She also recalled that all these people are suspected of committing a criminal offense under Part 1, Article 294 of the Criminal Code (organization of mass riots).
It was reported earlier that participants in protests clashed with police on Bankova Street not far from the presidential administration in Kyiv on Dec. 1. Some people wearing masks arrived at Bankova Street on a road grader and attempted to break through a police cordon.
They were behaving aggressively and pelted the police cordon with smoke grenades, stones, metal rods and fireworks. Some time later, the law enforcement retaliated, throwing stun and gas grenades at the rioters. The clash continued for about three hours, after which the Berkut task force cleared Bankova Street of protesters.
Dozens of law enforcement troops, journalists, and demonstrators suffered injuries in the incident.
The opposition claimed that the attack on the police cordon was staged by agents provocateurs bribed by the authorities in an attempt to provoke the use of force in breaking the protest up.
A lot of peaceful demonstrators who were not involved in the clashes with police suffered injuries in Berkut’s counter-offensive.
Several hours following the events on Bankova Street, the Interior Ministry reported the detention of several men who were most actively involved in the riots and, referring to their testimony, claimed that activists from the Bratstvo (Brotherhood) party led by Dmytro Korchynsky stood behind the clashes.
The Interior Ministry later reported the detention of nine young men suspected of involvement in the incidents on Bankova Street in Kyiv on December 1. They are suspected of resisting a law enforcement official, deliberate infliction of bodily injuries on a law enforcement official, organization of mass unrest and attempt on the life of a law enforcement official.
