Anti-corruption activist Handziuk dies after acid attack

Kateryna Handziuk, an advisor to the mayor of Kherson,
died on Nov. 4 after undergoing months of treatment for a politically motivated
acid attack. On July 31, she was dumped with a liter of sulfuric acid, which
disfigured her face and left 35% of her body with burns. She had since
undergone 11 surgical operations to remove damaged cells and transplant new
skin. After her death, police changed the criminal charges to murder from
attempted murder. In the investigation, they detained five suspects, all veterans
of the war in Donbas. Four of them have confessed to the crime.

Handziuk, 33, was an active critic of corruption in
the Kherson local government, as well as local pro-Russian separatist groups.
She also criticized corruption in local law enforcement. She had managed
projects for the International Organization for Migration and the Renaissance
fund. Before her death, Handziuk told the pravda.com.ua news site that she
received threats and warnings from local law enforcement authorities. In
August, Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Interior Minister, said
Handziuk’s attack was ordered, but neither the orderer nor assailant had any
ties to the Interior Ministry.

In response to her passing, the U.S. and EU
governments expressed their condolences and called for criminal prosecutions of
those responsible, including those who ordered the attack. Leading Ukrainian
politicians made similar statements, including President Poroshenko and
Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, who vowed to bring criminal convictions. He
stressed that 367 interviews have been conducted and 21 samples of criminal
evidence collected in investigating the crime.

Zenon Zawada: This is the latest black stain on the Poroshenko administration.
What’s disturbing is not only Handziuk’s death after months of suffering, but
also the lack of an effective investigation of the crime, which has been
criticized by Ukraine’s NGO and activist community. Her lawyer told
hromadske.ua radio on Nov. 4 that many procedural slips by prosecutors could
leave her assailants unpunished. We believe Handziuk’s death has elevated the
importance of criminal convictions for Western authorities in cooperating in
the future with Ukraine on various efforts.