by Zoya Shu zoyashu [at] yahoo.comI wrote this article because my human nature doesnt let me stay silent. I hope you will also pay attention.What do common western people know about Ukraine? Maximum what they know is what we want to tell and show them.
This story is a shame and brutal crime, but I dont want to keep silent about it for the sake of the country's image.
State policy aims at the western democracy standards.
This story is about the gap between the western world and Ukraine, it is a story about the gap between rich and poor, those who have power and abuse it and those who do not have simple human rights.
The story is tremendously shocking in its cruelty, inhumanity and atrocity.
I even felt shame for having been born in the country where the whole-nationally elected deputees, called to stand for the interests of people... not only allow themselves to kill these people for the sake of own's sick entertainment (or whatever else), but also have imprudence to abuse the system to protect themselves and stay unguilty, the system which is meant to serve the common people - innocents, who are being murdered by the inhuman beings, intoxicated with power and money.
The story begins on 16 June 2009. Then the group of three people - the Parlamentary deputy from Yulia Timoshenko Block Victor Lozinsky, region prosecutor Eugeni Gorbenko and Chief of the regional division of the police Mikhail Kovalsky beated up a local man, Valeri Oliynyk, 53, caused him several bullet wounds, after what he died. There were 9 bullet wounds in his body and multiply fractures, including open fractures.
Now his body is buried, but the issue should be not - as it always happens here when top-level officials are involved.
By the way, the body was buried without a leg and with his head sewed back. But all in turn.
On 16 June 2009 the abovementioned three decided to "ride around the region, to observe what is going on". Around 8 PM, three people were riding the road near village of Golovanev (Kirovograd region, Ukraine). On some field, near the road they saw a walking man, common walker, which you see hundreds when you ride a car. He "seemed suspicious" to the three, because his pants were teared and he was unshaved. They stopped the car. And later everything happened.
The point of the three people now is self defence.
The point of all who knew the deceased - the abuse of power and impunity by the three, one of whom is considered "the master of the region" by the locals.
Let us see all the points of view and make our conclusions.
DeputyOn 22 June 2009 Mr. Lozinsky declared at the press conference the following:
"I asked him: "Who are you?" He suddenly took out a gun and started shooting in our direction. Me and the prosecutor followed him in a car, threw him down on earth. I held hi
s right hand, where the gun was, the prosecutor held his left hand. I threw a gun aside. Then a man managed to take out a knife and he caused me and the proecutor incised wounds. We let him free and then he took out one more gun." After this the deputee and the prosecutor left the place and waited for the police to come. After it arrived, the man was detained.
Later, according to this source, ambulance was called. A deputy from the Block of Yulia Timoshenko addressed the MIA requesting to award his colleague.
PoliceAccording to the Minister of Internal Affairs (who stayed on his post after his drunk international scandal with German police at the Frankfurt Airport) Lozinsky was applying self defence only.
News appeared that the MIA was about to award the three for heroism and detention of a dangerous man.
The involved chief of regional police says "we went for a trip around fields, we were all sober. We saw a suspicious man, called him, he took out a large gun and staretd shooting. Lozinsky went out of the car, ran after him. We called for reinforcement... I dont remember how many policemen arrived. We beated him a bit"
All of them are stating that the death of 53 y.o. village guy was a result of necessary self defence. The deputy even considers that the man was sent to kill him, because "he had some papers with pencil-drawn schemes of the forest".
Who was this man? Valeriy Olyinyk, 53 y.o. former businessman who failed to conduct the business and moved to the village to live with his mother. Neighbours say he was a bit strange (wanted to invent a device to produce energy out of the reflection of a sunbeam to help the country), but harmless. Question arises: from where would such guy have a gun, not even two? and why would he shoot into the three guys in a large black car?
The mother and friends
His 81 year old mother, who was not allowed to see the body of her son till the last moment of the burial, says: "That day he carried only a jacket with him. About his death I knew the next day. Three strong men came to me in a Jeep. They showed me a gun and asked if it was his gun. But he was quiet and unsociable. Earned by digging up vegetable gardens for people. From where would he have guns? These people gave me 200 greevnas (26 USD) and left". She considers they were "deputee's people", i.e. who else could have had a gun involved in the incident.
The next day she was called to police, where she was shown 5 guns and asked if she saw any of them. There was also a gun which she was shown the day before.
People from the village call the tragedy "hunting the living man".
One of his neighbours say: "After the tragedy we went to the place several times. Lozinsky says they saw a suspicious man from the car, called him and he shot. But look - there were 300 metres from the road to the place where Valera walked. How loud one should call?" He is sure everything was another way. Not far from there are the forests of Lozinsky, where he hunts. "They might have seen a man and decided to punish the imprudent man walking near someone's property and make him run on the field as a hare." He adds, that it is not a secret - that evening before the tragedy Lozinsky, prosecutor, the policeman and some more locals were seen in a local bar, where for a long time they were drinking alcohol and discussing something.
There are also rumours that in the night one of the women who was in the bar in that company, was visited by "serious people" and were almost begging that her husband would take the murder on himself. Kinda "he will be put on probation and given a million greevnas credit without interest". That man gave a flat refusal, knowing what can happen, the more he had alibi. Later in the morning a version appeared that the murdered Oliynyk was armed, started shooting and so, he was detained.
In the hospital where Oliynyk was taken (according to the version of the deputy - alive, but a bit beaten) it was declared that on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday they recieved... a dead body. "Dead man was in handcuffs, we counted 9 bullet wounds on his body, open fracture of the leg, broken ribs and a clavicle. But I beg you dont mention my name!" - one of the medicals of the Golovan regional hospital requested the media.
As it was mentioned, people say that Lozinsky is known as the "master of the region", and before several incidents of his anger against local people occured. He threatened a local priest, chasing him in a car, that he shouldnt walk in "his" forests. In responce to the question why "his", while the forefathers of so many people lived at those lands, Mr. Lozinsky argumented it with that he earns USD 100000 per month. "What could I tell him then with my 66 greevans?" - the man says. It is not the only one example of brutality and abuse of power which sadly happened in that region.
So far the criminal case was started on the issue, and it was brought up to the whole national level and was discussed in the talk show on the national level yesterday. There was a mom of the murdered on the programme, lonely old woman wearing black shawl. Sat quietly, fiddling with her handkerchief while unknown strangers discussed horrible details of her only son's death and expressed their grief on the tragedy which will never be so deep for them as for her. Only the cold hearted could look at that without tears appearing. And the news about detention of the two participants of the story - the prosecutor and the policeman - which appeared today, somehow brings certain comfort into the hearts and hope for justice.
The deputy however stays only a witness in the criminal case. The Prime Minister Tulia Timoshenko, who is the leader of the party to which the deputy Lozinsky belongs to declared that he will be deprived of immunity in case if his guilt is proven.
Still, it seems that politicians are willing to get the political bonus from the issue more than they want to follow the basic human morality.
The situation is well described by the press secretary of the President, Irina Vannikova:
Taking into consideration the comments of the Minister of Internal Affairs and other top level buerocrats, one can get the general impression that the purpose of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is to close the case instead of the fast crime clearance and taking the guilty ones into the responsability. Political irresponsibility which was demonstrated in the situation with murder of Mr. Oliynyk is an evidence of deeply corrupted security agencies. The bodies, called for serving the nation are now practically privatized and turned into the defence services of certain parties. One of the reasons which permits the buerocrats avoid the responsability for the commited crimes and cause the law disorder and mess is the deputy immunity. It gives the potential criminals the path to the top level state posts and makes them above the law and it has to be abolished."
I believe murders happen in every country, and people die every day.
But this is not an ordinary murder. This case shows the cancrous cells of corruption and immorality of our society.
It reminds the times of rightless slaves and powerful owners, the times which, we all thought, have gone to the ages.
I dont want it to stay unseen, unknown, hidden. Same as the old lady's age can't be hidden under the whatever amount of make up, the truth about the realities of this country can not be hidden under the beautiful attempts of the state imagemakers.
Till the time we do not realize our diseases we will not be able to overcome them and develop further, to finally reach the goal Ukraine strives for - being a developed western democracy, with western values, where one of the most important ones is the human rights.
News video of the burial can be seen here: http://www.segodnya.ua/video/14060774.html
Related articles in Russian/Ukrainian:
http://www.segodnya.ua/news/14061044.html
http://www.izv.kharkov.ua/news/poghibshii_na_kirovoghradshchinie_militsionier_valierii_oliinyk_mogh_byt_podoslan_dlia_ubiistva
http://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/878059
