KYIV -- Ukrainian prosecutors have ended criminal proceedings against two top officials charged with abuse of power for pushing the police chief in the capital, Kyiv, to use force against antigovernment protesters.
Kyiv prosecutors said on February 12 that investigations against Volodymyr Sivkovych, deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, and Oleksandr Popov, the head of Kyiv's city administration, were dropped as part of a recent amnesty law approved by President Viktor Yanukovych.
The two had been suspended in December, shortly after police violently cracked down on protesters on November 30, injuring dozens.
The amnesty law also stipulates that all detained protesters should be released, but only if antigovernment protesters clear out of government buildings they occupy.
The opposition on February 12 denounced what it called the "cynicism" of the authorities and demanded that all protesters be released "immediately."
Kyiv prosecutors said on February 12 that investigations against Volodymyr Sivkovych, deputy secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, and Oleksandr Popov, the head of Kyiv's city administration, were dropped as part of a recent amnesty law approved by President Viktor Yanukovych.
The two had been suspended in December, shortly after police violently cracked down on protesters on November 30, injuring dozens.
The amnesty law also stipulates that all detained protesters should be released, but only if antigovernment protesters clear out of government buildings they occupy.
The opposition on February 12 denounced what it called the "cynicism" of the authorities and demanded that all protesters be released "immediately."
