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Freedom House Delegation Visits Ukraine Like Fathers, WASHINGTON – a Delegation from Freedom House, the David J THEH Published U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXX No. 16 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012 $1/$2 in Ukraine ANALYSIS: Freedom House delegation visits Ukraine Like fathers, WASHINGTON – A delegation from Freedom House, the David J. Kramer, president of Freedom House. “At the same internationally known human rights watchdog based in time, we are very concerned by the selective prosecution of Washington, returned to Ukraine in early April to assess key opposition figures, the ‘family-ization’ of corruption, like sons the state of democracy and human rights in the country. and stress the importance of free and fair elections in The delegation, which 14 months ago had published an October 2012 for Ukraine’s democratic development.” by Mykola Riabchuk assessment entitled “Sounding the Alarm: Protecting The team welcomed the government’s willingness to Recently, 18-year-old Oksana Makar was beaten Democracy in Ukraine,” will issue a new report in June facilitate the visits with Mr. Lutsenko and Ms. Tymoshenko and raped by three drunken youngsters in the south- with recommendations. but expressed its concern about the lack of consistent ern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. To hide the crime, the According to an April 4 news release, as part of the visit, medical attention for Ms. Tymoshenko and criminalization miscreants tied her up and set her on fire. Oksana the delegation met with President Viktor Yanukovych. of political differences. later died in hospital from horrendous burns. Other meetings included Verkhovna Rada Chairman Led by Mr. Kramer, the delegation included both The city was shocked and hundreds of people took Volodymyr Lytvyn and other national deputies, Procurator Americans and Ukrainians: Robert Nurick, a senior fellow to the streets to protest after a rumor spread that the General Viktor Pshonka, Minister of Justice Oleksander at the Atlantic Council; Victoria Sjumar, director of the culprits had been released, placed under house arrest Lavrynovych, Security Services of Ukraine (SBU) Deputy Institute for Mass Information; Olexander Sushko, research and were likely to avoid punishment, which typically Director Petro Shatkovsky, as well as civil society and director of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation and happens in Ukraine when the children of big bosses media representatives and members of the opposition. chair of the board of the International Renaissance and wealthy businessmen are involved in crimes. The delegation also met with two imprisoned opposition Foundation; and Damon Wilson, executive vice-president The rumors proved unfounded, but people have leaders, former Minister of Internal Affairs Yurii Lutsenko at the Atlantic Council. Matthew Schaaf, program officer at become so accustomed to daily lawlessness and the and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Those meet- Freedom House, was also part of the group. rampant impunity of the strong and wealthy that they ings occurred in the Lukianivska and Kachanivska prisons, Ukraine is ranked partly free in “Freedom in the World tend, naturally, to overreact. respectively. The visit to Ms. Tymoshenko was the first by 2012,” Freedom House’s survey of political rights and civil A few years ago, Dmytro Rud, the 25-year-old son an independent international delegation since her transfer liberties, and partly free in “Freedom of the Press 2011.” of the Dnipropetrovsk prosecutor, ran down three to prison in December 30, 2011. Freedom House is an independent watchdog organiza- women at a marked road crossing and disappeared “We recognize that there has been progress in some tion that supports democratic change, monitors the status after being placed under house arrest. Serhii areas, including legislation on NGOs, the criminal procedure of freedom around the world, and advocates for democra- Kalynovsky, the 23-year-old son of a rich oil trader, code, open government and access to information,” said cy and human rights. crashed at high speed into a parked car containing two passengers, killed both, and eventually escaped from the hospital and took a chartered plane to Israel. Oleksander Shpyrko, the son of a colonel of the California Association to Aid Ukraine National Security Service in Odesa, heavily drunk, plowed into a boat on his scooter, killing one person and injuring three. Again, as the typical story goes, he celebrates its 20th anniversary was released on probation and, after due pressure on victims, witnesses, investigators and judges, received a four-year suspended sentence, later repealed by an amnesty (http://tsn.ua/ukrayina/mazhorni-vitivki- yak-diti-vplivovih-batkiv-unikayut-pravosuddya.html). By late 2010, as such tendencies became all too obvious, I began to collect the stories of violent crimes committed by Ukrainian VIPs and, especially, their offspring. The list is certainly not exhaustive since I picked up the stories occasionally, inter alia, while searching materials for different projects and screening only a handful of sources. Yet, having gath- ered about a hundred stories of this kind in less than a year, I found it tempting to classify them and to denote some distinct features and tendencies. First of all, the lion’s share of violent incidents in which VIPs and their progenies are involved pertains to speeding (usually in a state of drunkenness) or to some restaurant and post-restaurant brawls (again most frequently with the perpetrators in an inebriat- ed condition). Predictably, young people are much more prominent in this activity, partly because of the age and respective hormones, and partly because Don Hagopian Photography their progenitors use (as a rule) personal drivers and Kateryna Yushchenko (seated, first row center), Ukraine 3000 representatives, international health care fellows, bodyguards, in order to preclude such problems. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center faculty and members of the California Association to Aid Ukraine board of directors and committees. So, when a minor oligarch and national deputy from Luhansk, Volodymyr Landyk, happened to be by Anne Kokawa Prokopovych ence at the 20th anniversary celebration of the California stopped by a traffic policeman because his car was Association to Aid Ukraine (CAAU). traveling at double the speed limit, he had no need to LOS ANGELES – “Thank you for being there for Ukraine The former first lady of Ukraine, who delivered the key- contest the charge. It sufficed to order his bodyguard: in her first 20 years – for coming immediately upon her note address, also offered reflections on the progress and “Go and sort him out!” – the Russian form is much rebirth, for helping her to grow.” the challenges of the young nation of Ukraine, as well as cruder – (http://gazeta.ua/articles/374929), and the Those were the words of Kateryna Yushchenko, head of the Ukraine 3000 programs. (Continued on page 2) the Supervisory Council of the Ukraine 3000 International Charitable Foundation, as she warmly greeted the audi- (Continued on page 3) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012 No. 16 ANALYSIS Like fathers, like sons Foreign voters deprived of rights majority nominees in the city of Kyiv. (Continued from page 1) Parliamentary elections in Ukraine will be KYIV – The Constitutional Court has held in October. (Ukrinform) issue was settled. The policeman ended up f…! I’m having a good time, as I like it. It’s up deprived Ukrainians living abroad of equal in a hospital with concussion and bruises to to me, f…, either to smell coke, or inject, or voting rights, as compared to voters who Lazarenko owes $2M in back taxes his chest, whereas Mr. Landyk swore sol- drink, or drive, or f…, or shoot. I’m Vladimr will vote in Ukraine, the chairman of the emnly that nothing illegal had occurred: Kryvko! Any questions?” (http://gazeta.ua/ Committee of Voters of Ukraine (CVU), SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Former Ukrainian “The injuries he has got, well, he had proba- articles/425850). Oleksander Chernenko, told the press on Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko may find bly inflicted them upon himself, no one beat Last year, a big scandal occurred in April 5, commenting on the Constitutional an inquiry from Marin County tax collector him!” Luhansk when Roman Landyk, a deputy of Court’s ruling to ban Ukrainians abroad Roy Given waiting when he is released This spectacular chutzpah seems to be the City Council and, yes, the son of the from the federal prison at Terminal Island from voting for nominees from majority the Party of Regions’ trademark. Back in same Volodymyr Landyk whose bodyguard on November 1, reported a local newspa- constituencies in Kyiv. “We have faced a 2010, after the bloody melee in the knocked out the traffic policeman, brutally per, the Marin Independent Journal. Mr. breach of the Constitution, because it guar- Parliament, when oppositionists blocked attacked a young woman in a night club Lazarenko, who has been in prison for the antees that everyone has equal voting the podium protesting procedural viola- because she refused his gentle offer to have past six years following his conviction for rights. Here this equation is violated, tions and Mr. Landyk’s colleagues broke a good time with him at some other place money laundering, transporting stolen because the citizens of Ukraine on the terri- their noses in response, Mykhailo (http://www.unian.net/ukr/news/news- goods and fraud, owes Marin County $2.1 tory of the state vote both for political par- Chechetov, the informal “director” of the 444915.html). The story would have prob- million in back taxes and late payment ties and candidates from majority constitu- party’s parliamentary faction, brashly ably have had no consequences for the fines levied against the palatial, 11-acre encies. The same citizen who is abroad will explained the incident to the journalists: young Landyk, just as the earlier incident Novato mansion at 100 Obertz Lane he only vote for party lists, so we cannot speak “There was no assault.
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