The Situation of Human Rights Defenders and Civil Activists in Ukraine in 2020

The Situation of Human Rights Defenders and Civil Activists in Ukraine in 2020

THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND CIVIL ACTIVISTS IN UKRAINE IN 2020 ANALYTICAL REPORT УДК 342.7:364-787.82](477)’’2020’’(042.5-028.45) С76 The situation of human rights defenders and civil activists in Ukraine in 2020: Analytical report / O. Vynohradova, A. Moskvychova, T. Pechonchyk, L. Yankina; ZMINA Human Rights Centre. – Kyiv, 2020. – 144 p. This report analyzes international documents, national law and the conditions in which the human rights and civil activities of individuals and organizations took place in the territory of Ukraine controlled by the government during 2020. It considers the key problems faced by human rights advocates and civil activists, list specific cases of persecution of human rights defenders and civil activists, particularly criminal, civil and administrative persecution, threats, cases of physical violence (including murder, beating and property damage), surveillance and discreditation campaigns, obstruction of peaceful gatherings, etc. The target audience of the report includes representatives of government bodies, international and intergovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights defenders and civil activists. The report has been prepared by the ZMINA Human Rights Centre as a part of the Increasing the Role and Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Ukraine project, in partnership with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and with financial support by the European Union. The views of the report’s authors do not reflect the official position of the European Union. Cover photo: Law enforcement officers are kicking Oleksandr Kiryakov, a protester who is lying on the ground, on June 14, 2020, near the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv during a rally in support of the civil activist Serhiy Sternenko. Photo credit: Serhiy Nuzhnenko, Radio Svoboda. This publication may contain graphic depictions of incidents or victims of attacks or persecution which may shock, affect or provoke anxiety in some readers. ZMINA Human Rights Centre works in the field of protecting the freedom of speech, freedom of movement, opposing discrimination, preventing torture and cruel treatment, fighting impunity, supporting human rights defenders and activists in the Ukrainian territory, including the occupied Crimea, and defending the rights of people who have suffered from the armed conflict. The organization conducts information campaigns, education programs, works to monitor and document cases of human rights violations, prepares studies and analyses, and achieves change through national and international advocacy. See more details about ZMINA Human Rights Centre and its activities at: zmina.ua zmina.info Contacts for comments and suggestions Email: [email protected] ISBN 978-966-8620-31-7 © ZMINA Human Rights Centre, 2020 3 Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 2. STUDY SUMMARY �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 7 3. RECOMMENDATIONS ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 11 4. METHODOLOGY ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17 5. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF THE SITUATION AND TRENDS OF 2020 ����������������������������� 23 a� Statistical data on the persecution of activists and human rights defenders in 2020 ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 24 b� Threats to the digital security of human rights defenders and civil activists ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27 c� Other defining trends for civil society ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28 i� Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic on civil activism and human rights activities ������������������������������������������������ 28 ii� Discreditation of activism and the campaign against the “Sorosiata” ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 28 iii� Illegal actions by the police during peaceful gatherings ��������������������������� 30 iv� Local elections and civil activism �������������������������������������������������������������������� 31 d� The course of investigations and court trials of high-profile cases ���������������������� 32 i� Kateryna Handziuk’s case ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 32 ii� Iryna Nozdrovska’s case ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 34 iii� Serhiy Sternenko’s case ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 34 6. BRIEF OVERVIEW OF BILLS WHICH THREATEN CIVIL SOCIETY ��������������������������������� 37 7. BRIEF REVIEW OF CASES OF PERSECUTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND CIVIL ACTIVISTS ������������������������������������������������ 49 ANALYTICAL REPORT 4 List of Abbreviations ACOAB – Association of Co-owners of an Apartment Building AntAC – Anti-corruption Action Centre ASMA – Agency for Searching and Managing Assets Association of UMHRC – Association of Ukrainian Monitors of Human Rights Conduct in Law Enforcement CCU – Criminal Code of Ukraine CCU – Constitutional Court of Ukraine CSO – civil society organization DACK – District Administrative Court of Kyiv EBRD – European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ECHR – European Court of Human Rights EU – European Union HQCJ – High Qualifications Commission for Judges ITA – international technical aid JEC – Journalistic Ethics Commission KCSA – Kyiv City State Administration KIIA – Kyiv Institute of International Affairs of the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University KNU – Kyiv National University LGBTIQ – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexual, queer people MCU – Misdemeanor Code of Ukraine MIA – Ministry of Internal Affairs NABU – National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine NaUKMA – National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy NGO – non-govermental organization ODIHR – Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights OP – Office of the President OPG – Office of the Prosecutor General OSCE – Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe PIC – Public Integrity Council PrJSC – private joint-stock company SACC – Supreme Anti-corruption Court of Ukraine SAP – Special Anti-corruption Prosecution SIB – State Investigation Bureau SSU – Security Service of Ukraine SOGI – sexual orientation and gender identity TaO – Tradition and Order TIC – Temporary Investigative Commission UHHRU – Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union UN – United Nations URPI – Unified State Registry of Pre-trial Investigations VR – Verkhovna Rada THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND CIVIL ACTIVISTS IN UKRAINE IN 2020 1 INTRODUCTION 6 1 INTRODUCTION ■ A roundtable in Kyiv dedicated to the protection of civil activists, January 2020. Photo credits by Iryna Ivanchenko, ZMINA he team of the ZMINA Human Rights Centre gladly presents a monitoring report on the Tpressure and persecution of activists in 2020, created as a part of the Increasing the Role and Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Ukraine project. ZMINA implements this project in partnership with the Netherlands Helsinki Committee with financial support by the European Union. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the situation with persecution of and pressure on public activists in 2020, to describe the incidents which became known in this period. Given the existence of an urgent problem of protecting civil society actors, the main purpose of this report is to discover gaps in legislation and the work of law enforcement agencies, provide full and up-to-date information about the situation with persecution of and pressure on human rights defenders and activists to representatives of the government, media, international missions and partners, and the wider public. In the context of decentralization, mobilization of efforts in the solidarity struggle against the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic perturbations, the topic of persecution of activists and human rights defenders, as well as impunity for this persecution, has been gaining increased relevance for the promotion and advocacy of human rights standards, monitoring of the government’s fulfillment of its obligations, and protection of social interests. We hope that the information described in the report will be useful for analyzing and drawing conclusions about the security climate for human rights defenders and civil activists working in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND CIVIL ACTIVISTS IN UKRAINE IN 2020 2 STUDY SUMMARY 8 2 STUDY SUMMARY THE SITUATION WITH THE PERSECUTION OF ACTIVISTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS IN 2020 In total, ZMINA recorded 101 cases of persecution for civil activism or actions in defense of human rights in 2020. The months with the highest numbers of cases were February (11), September (13) and December (12); August and November had the fewest incidents, 5 each. The quarantine restrictions in the spring months did not reduce the scope and intensity of persecution; in particular, in this period, we recorded misuse of attempts at charging activists with misdemeanors for holding peaceful gatherings, most of which were later cancelled by courts of various

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