“The Revolution of Dignity is one of the key moments of the Ukrainian state and an exponent of the national idea of freedom”, says the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine adopted February 17. The resolution was supported by 295 deputies on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the beginning of mass shootings on Maidan (Independence Square) in the downtown Kyiv.

In accordance with the resolution, “the investigation of the crimes perpetrated during the Revolution of Dignity must be carried out efficiently and fully. And the culprits must be put on trial and held responsible during a fair and unbiased legal process. The further delay in this question is inadmissible”.

The resolution says that the cases of humiliation of dignity that took place six year ago in Independence Square and all over the capital city of Kiyv as well as in other cities, townships and villages across the country should not be repeated again.
The usurpation of power by one of its branches, a political party or an individual official is an absolutely intolerable event that results in long-term grave consequences, the resolution underscores.

“Tragic events of the Revolution of Dignity that were followed by the annexation of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation, its occupation of some districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions had been brought about by the policy pursued by Viktor Yanukovych and his criminal regime which was supported by the Russian Federation and which acted against the national interests of Ukraine”, says the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada.

Besides, the Parliament condemned the illegal activities of some officers of special police units, militiamen, soldiers of the interior troops, bailiffs, prosecutors, judges, government officials during the Revolution and recognized their actions as such that caused irreparable harm to the Ukrainian state and society.

In its Resolution, the Verkhovna Rada stressed that peaceful meetings are an extremely effective tool of public control over the authorities. And the safety of participants in peaceful meetings of all forms and their right to express their views must be ensured and protected by the state. 

The Parliament of Ukraine stressed that European values dignity, democracy, equality and supremacy of law for which the heroes of the Heavenly Hundred sacrificed their lives are necessary for the normal functioning of society. The Verkhovna Rada pledges to stand up for these values and will assert them in all spheres of public life.

Volodymyr Vyatrovych, a Parliament member, wrote after the resolution had been adopted, “Finally, we have the clear-cut political assessment of the events that took place seven years ago. The Revolution of Dignity is one of the key moments of the Ukrainian state and an exponent of the national idea of freedom. The heroes of the Heavenly Hundred are Ukrainians and foreigners who gave their lives during the Revolution defending the ideals of democracy and standing up for rights and liberties of man, the European future of Ukraine”.

The EuroMaidan started on November 21, 2013, at Independence Square in the Kyiv downtown. People took to streets in an action of protest because the then President Viktor Yanukovych had declared a change in the foreign policy line of the country. They demanded that Ukraine return to the European course of development, particularly to the Association Agreement with the European Union which Yanukovych refused to sign.

On the night of November 30, the special police “Berkut” was used to overpower the demonstrators. They dispersed protesting students with force.

Clashes between participants in the Revolution of Dignity and supporters of the Yanukovych regime lasted for more than three months. And on February 18 to 20, protests hit their peak. More than a hundred Ukrainian protesters were killed during those days. Later they were called the “Heavenly Hundred”. In fact, those days became the turning point in the Revolution of Dignity. Yanukovych fled to Russia.

On February 20, every year, Ukraine marks the Day of the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred to commemorate all those who died in Independence Square.

The newspaper Voice of Ukraine