Open Letter to President Victor Yanukovych and to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak from women's and human rights NGOs in Ukraine

                                                          Dear Gentlemen,

We, the members of women's and human rights organizations, express our deep concern regarding the events currently taking place in Ukraine, especially the unprecedented use of brutal force on peaceful demonstrators who were expressing their free will regarding the Euro integration  of Ukraine.We unite with the demands to find and hold accountable those who initiated and ordered these acts of aggression against peaceful citizens of Ukraine.

 Among several dozen people attacked and bloodily beaten by the special armed forces BERKUT during the night of violence on Maydan Nezalezhnosti on December , 2013 and during the meetings/demonstrations on Bankova Street on December 2 there were peaceful citizens, women of different ages, from teens to pensioners.

The evident outrage against peaceful protesters has resulted in a dozen people, women in particular, who were hospitalized for various injuries, spanning from head injuries, concussions, lacerations, dousing with chemical gas. These incidents are documented in medical records, video and photographs and audio materials from the scene of the events.

A list of those who suffered is readily and widely available.

With our (taxpayer's) money, today, special forces of internal troops are being financed, and have the full support (including housing, food and salaries) that are much higher than the salaries of people who work in the fields of health, education and science. International practice shows that these military forces should be fighting with organized crime, gang violence and toward the protection of civilians. As the events of December 1-2,2013 in Ukraine show, these troops performed under an entirely different order. They repressed the rights of citizens, especially the rights of women and children.

Instead of valuing and respecting the people and citizens of this country, they cultivated impunity, cruelty violence and hate against defenseless citizens. Using taxpayers' money, the government has formed and maintains troops that are legalized sadists.

We demand:

 1. A meticulous public investigation of EVERY incident of violence against Ukrainian citizens and a report on personal criminal responsibility from members of special forces BERKUT. 

2. The dissolution of the current special forces and the creation of new forces, which will clearly abide by the laws of Ukraine, the main goals and mission of legal entities whose assignment is to protect the rights and freedoms of the citizens of Ukraine.

3. The fundamental values of these troops are loyalty to the people of Ukraine, to work honestly and with dignity.

4. During personnel interviews for hire, a testing system should be implemented regarding the psychological health of the individual, as well as the his non-aggressive and non-sadistic behavior.

This appeal will be widely distributed to all mass media in Ukraine as well as as abroad and to all state agencies and international institutions.

1. From women's organizations    
2. Olesya Bondar, Ukrainian Women's Fund 
3. Каterina Levchenko, International Women's Rights Centre "La Strada- Ukraine"
4. Nataliya Karbovska, Ukrainian Women's Fund
5. Lyubov Maksymovych,  West Ukrainian Center "Women's Perspective"