11/12/2015 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - The International Criminal Court did not recognize the events on the Maidan as a crime against humanity

The ICC did not recognize the events on the Maidan as a crime against humanity

11.12.2015 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine Agency

Topics from Media and Social Networks

• The International Criminal Court did not recognize the events on the Maidan as a crime against humanity.
• The Verkhovna Rada on the fourth try adopted the anti-discrimination amendment to the Labour Code.
• Deportation of the Crimean Tatars was recognized as a genocide.
• Scandalous cafe in the burnt House of Trade Unions on the Maidan was closed.
• Poroshenko awarded financier Soros with the Order of Liberty.

Key Events In Ukraine

• The MPs at the fourth attempt adopted the "anti-discriminatory amendment" to the Labour Code, without which, according to President Poroshenko, it is impossible to obtain a visa-free regime with the EU. Deputy Head of the Parliament Parubiy said that within a few days a conclusion by the European Commission on the adopted anti-corruption laws is expected . The most problematic, in his opinion, are the laws on special confiscation and on Agency on management of confiscated assets, which contain a large number of amendments, that  changed their original edition. If the European Commission will put forward any comments to the adopted laws, they will be amended. There will be repeated voting on these laws and only then they will be submitted to the President for signature.
  The Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution recognizing the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 as a genocide .
  The Deputies approved the establishment of the State Bureau of Investigation, which will deal with crimes of top officials, judges and law enforcement officers, including the ones of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the anti-corruption prosecutor's office. The authors of the bill state that it would eliminate the investigation from the competence of the Prosecutor's Office. The planned number of employees of the Bureau is 1500 people.
  Three draft laws were adopted regarding ensuring the transparency of anti-monopoly measures, penalties for violation of the antitrust laws and increasing to € 100 million of the minimum amount of assets to get approval for the merger. According to the Ministry of Social and Economic Development, these laws will facilitate the investments to  the Ukrainian economy.
  The MPs supported an amendment to ensure the retaining of jobs for mobilized workers.
• Ukraine joined the WTO agreement on mutual access to public procurements.
• The Petro Poroshenko Blok made a decided to support the current mayor Sadovyi in the second round of elections in Lviv.
• Finance Minister Yaresko said that Ukraine's state debt was reduced by $ 3 billion. New Eurobonds for $ 12 billion, instead of the existing ones, will be issued in the nearest time. The only debt that could not be restructured is a loan of the government of former President Yanukovych, obtained from Russia. Yaresko stated that it would not be paid, since Russia did not join the restructuring program. The sovereign debt of the country is more than $ 70 billion.
• The exchange rate of the national currency slightly decreased: 22,92 ₴/$ (+0,16 UAH), 24,58 ₴/€ (+0,19 UAH), 3,50 ₴/10 ₽ (-0,02 UAH).

Kyiv

• Another rating agency, Standard & Poor's, lowered the ratings of Kiev to the default level. The Government is going to restructure the debts of the capital without the prior consent of the creditors' committee, despite the blocking of an agreement by one of the main bondholders.

Ukraine at War

• In the conflict zone in the Donbass continuous clashes do not stop . Fighting continues in the surroundings of Donetsk and Gorlivka-Artemovsk route where the checkpoint to the occupied territory is situated. Intelligence reports about the concentration of large number of militants heavy equipment near the frontline . The militants are gradually pulling up to the front line fuel for armored vehicles.
• Another of Putin's "convoys" consisting of more than 100 trucks entered through the uncontrolled border part into the occupied territory of the Donbass.
• The Verkhovna Rada allowed the US and Canada troops on the territory of Ukraine for the time of exercises.

Ukraine and the World

• Head of the European Council Tusk hopes for restoration of the border control and the construction of the fence, which should prevent the penetration of the migrants to the EU. He said that the unresolved refugee problem can cause the collapse of the Schengen area.
• Ambassador to Ukraine Tombinsky believes that Ukraine should not expect a rapid effect from the introduction of a free trade zone with the EU. The positive effects can be seen only after a few years.
• The US representative to the OSCE believes that Russia should fulfill its obligations under the Minsk Agreement before the end of this year and ensure that the local elections in the Donbass are held under the Ukrainian legislation. Foreign Minister Klimkin thinks that the Minsk process is on the verge of a collapse because of the refusal of the militants to observe the ceasefire.
• Observers and journalists reported that Russia used phosphorous bombs in Syria.

The Trends

• According to the preliminary conclusions of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Ukrainian security forces used excessive and unjustified measures against the protesters and journalists at tthe Maidan in winter of 2013-2014. However, these measures do not constitute a crime against humanity. According to Ukrainian experts, the decision was made because of the lack of evidence provided by the Ukrainian Prosecutor's Office. Civil society believes that Ukrainian law enforcement officers deliberately misrepresented and concealed the facts to whiten the customers and murderers of activists of the Maidan.
• First deputy head of the SBU Trepak, appointed in July 2015, submitted his resignation because of the inability to fight the corruption, while Shokin holds the post of the General Prosecutor. Also at least a third of MPs speak in favour of resignation of the General Prosecutor. The same  constantly demand from President Poroshenko foreign partners of Ukraine .