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Fearing a Russian invasion, thousands of people gathered on the Maidan to support national unity. Kiev, March 23, 2014. REUTERS / Gleb Garanich

Five years ago to the day today, in Ukraine, the pro-European revolution was taking a tragic turn. Nearly 100 people, mostly demonstrators, were killed on and around Kiev's Independence Square. In the wake of this day of violence, President Yanukovych fled, leaving room for a pro-European government.

Five years later, court cases are not moving forward. Only nine people were sentenced to light prison sentences and no members of the police, regrets Maria Guryeva, the spokesperson of Amnesty International Ukraine, contacted by RFI. Worse, according to the head of the special investigations department in the Attorney General's office, 36 people suspected of involvement in the abuses continue to hold positions in the police.

" There were very few convictions and no one in the police force of the time was convicted. There is no clear willingness on the part of the authorities to conduct an effective investigation of these crimes. There are also financial and human resource issues in the justice system. And then, the fact that people suspected of having taken part in the abuses are still working in the police forces, that hampers the investigation, because they are of course interested in the fact that there have no progress. This is a huge blow to the relatives of those killed. What can they feel when for five years they see that people who have shot at their loved ones continue to work and that everything is fine for them. Nobody wants justice, no one has condemned these suspects. This shows that the system is not working, and that the system needs to be drastically changed to work normally. "

But this case is not the only one that does not move forward in Ukraine, regrets Maria Guryeva: " We need a reform of the judicial system, because in Ukraine, we have a big problem of impunity. We have the crimes of Euromaidan that have not yet been punished. But after that, there were other crimes that made headlines. Journalists have been killed: for example, more than two years ago, Pavel Sheremet, a well-known journalist was killed, and the investigation is not progressing. There have been lots of attacks on members of civil society, LGBT activists, women's rights activists, and in each case there has been no effective investigation. This shows that there is a big systemic problem coupled with a lack of political will. This gives a situation where those responsible for crimes are not punished. And this generates an increase in crimes and violence. We observe that the number of brutal attacks on activists is increasing. "

► To consult: The disenchanted place Maidan