Parlementslid Parasjoek op de vuist met politie

Het parlementslid Volodimir Parasjoek (Oekrop) is in opspraak gekomen door een opstootje waarbij zeven politiemensen gewond raakten. Parasjoek maakte deel uit van een groep van een veertigtal mannen die gisteravond met de agenten op de vuist gingen toen die hun auto's tegen wilden houden bij een controlepost bij de stad Slovjansk. Eén van de agenten raakte gewond toen hij door de auto van het parlementslid omver werd gereden.

De voormalige Majdan-activist meent dat het incident door de politie is uitgelokt en dat er onnodig veel geweld is gebruikt. Hij was uitgestapt om zichzelf kenbaar te maken als parlementslid, maar zou daarop gewond zijn geraakt door traangas. De agenten zouden met hun wapenstokken op de auto's hebben geslagen en er zou zijn geschoten. Politiechef Vjacheslav Abroskin erkende dat vanmorgen, maar zei er bij dat het om waarschuwingsschoten ging. De groep mannen zou op weg zijn geweest naar een spoorwegblokkade, waar ze de actievoerders wilden bijstaan.

Parasjoek werd niet gearresteerd, omdat hij als parlementslid onschendbaarheid geniet. Alleen het parlement kan die onschendbaarheid opheffen. Er werd vanmorgen wel een poging daartoe gedaan, maar die strandde. Het parlementslid Joeri Bereza (Volksfront) vroeg namens drie fracties toestemming om politieagenten en soldaten van de Nationale Garde te horen over de gebeurtenissen van gisteravond. Zover kwam het niet, want vice-parlementsvoorzitter Oksana Sirojid besloot de zitting voor vandaag te beëindigen.

Bronnen: Unian, 112

Police accuse MP Parasiuk of violent attacks, reportedly resort to tear gas, warning shots (Videos) The National Police's main department in Donetsk region has revealed the identity of a Member of Parliament who was involved in a mass brawl between trade blockade supporters and police officers outside the town of Sloviansk in Donbas on Tuesday evening, according to 112.ua. Politics 23:49, 14 March 2017 255 Photo from UNIAN MP Parasiuk enjoys parliamentary immunity / Photo from UNIAN "[Former Maidan activist, incumbent Verkhovna Rada member Volodymyr] Parasiuk was the leader of an attack on police. About 40-45 men attacked police officers," chief of a police unit which was on duty in Sloviansk, Colonel Yuriy Holuban said at a press conference on Tuesday, 112.ua reported. "I decided not to use firearms as there was a Member of Parliament. After that they broke through the checkpoint [in Sloviansk], got into the cars and drove down the road. Five officers from my unit were injured. One officer was hit by Parasiuk's car, two more had their faces inured, and two suffered through a tear gas exposure," Holuban said. Read also Seven police officers injured in brawl with supporters of trade blockade in Donbas (Photos) An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is under way. Later, chief of the police in Donetsk region Viacheslav Abroskin said that his department had transferred materials about the brawl to the Prosecutor's Office in Donetsk region, which is to decide whether criminal proceedings should be brought on the fact of violating public order. Parasiuk though enjoys parliamentary immunity, and only the parliament is able to strip him of the immunity if prosecutors submit a respective motion. Parasiuk's aide Iryna Holub posted footage from the site of the incident. She claims that the police were the first to attack the "unarmed" participants in the trade blockade. In her words, Parasiuk's suffered from tear gas very much. A column of vehicles was moving from Kharkiv to Bakhmut to support protesters against trade with occupied areas in Donbas after a roadblock near the Kryvy Torets railway station had been taken over by SBU and SWAT officers. Protesters near Kryvy Torets were detained, but later the police released them. "Volodymyr Parasiuk came out of his car, introduced himself and asked to let the car drive farther. But in response, police officers racked the slide of their weapons and did not let his car move. Then they used tear gas, hit the cars with batons and threatened that they would use arms," she told strana.ua. Eyewitnesses claim that Parasiuk and two other men were hospitalized because of a tear gas exposure. Later, Parasiuk wrote on Facebook that fire had been opened on the activists. "They have just now opened fire on us," he wrote late on Tuesday. According to the footage he posted, these were warning shots into the air. Yet, police first denied they had used weapons. Later the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's press service issued a statement confirming that warning shots were fired when police wanted to stop a convoy of cars, lb.ua informed.

Read more on UNIAN: https://www.unian.info/politics/1823581-police-accuse-mp-parasiuk-of-violent-attacks-reportedly-resort-to-tear-gas-warning-shots.html