Ukraine: wave of emotion after murder of anti-corruption activist

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A street in the center of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, on November 9, 2017 (Illustration). © GENYA SAVILOV / AFP

The acid murder of an anti-corruption activist in Ukraine raises a very strong emotional wave. Katerina Handziouk was attacked on 31 July and had undergone more than 10 surgeries. She died Sunday, November 4 of a stroke. She must be buried on Wednesday. Many events were held across the country to pay tribute to him, but also to demand answers from the authorities.

With our correspondent in Lviv, Sébastien Gobert

We may have underestimated the gravity of the situation. The well-known journalist Nataliya Gumeniuk echoes the shock wave that shook the media and civil society.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 50 attacks against anti-corruption activists and human rights defenders have been reported in Ukraine. Either the representatives of organized crime, nationalists, or corrupt personalities close to power. Most of the attacks went unpunished.

Civil society has certainly organized some protests to demand action by the authorities. But the mobilization remained modest during the election period. The death of Katerina Handziouk acts like an electroshock in the opinion, but the authorities send signals not reassuring.

Attorney General Yuriy Lutsenko played with the announcement of his resignation, knowing full well that it would not be accepted by Parliament. According to him, the investigators have identified 12 suspects, and we just have to wait for justice to take its course. According to his critics, the culprits are already known, and the Attorney General would only seek to stifle the case.