Ukraine top prosecutor submits resignation, rejected by Rada

Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko submitted his
resignation on Nov. 6 to parliament after drawing wide criticism for his
alleged mishandling of the investigation of the murder of Kherson activist
Kateryna Handziuk. Lutsenko, who is closely aligned with President Poroshenko,
defended his record and argued that political enemies were speculating on
Handziuk’s death to attack the president and his team. He also blamed them for
leaking information vital to the investigation. “Until yesterday, I was sure we
would work effectively in the nearest future,” he told parliament.
“Nonetheless, one of our leads was leaked to the mass media during the ‘public
relations on blood’ pursued by those who want to smear the government in any
way.”

Lutsenko’s resignation request was rejected by
parliament’s two-largest factions that are aligned with the president, the
Poroshenko Bloc and the People’s Front. Instead, they created a temporary
investigative commission to examine the attacks on Handziuk and other civil
activists, as well as examine the police investigations of those attacks. “The
prosecutor general is fleeing now, not because he doesn’t want to work, but
because he is preparing for elections and doesn’t want to assume
responsibility,” said MP Mustafa Nayyem, who was selected to the commission.
“So when he says, either him or us, then better that we investigate these
matters and prove who is truly guilty and who hired whom.”

Zenon Zawada: This is the
third time Lutsenko has submitted his resignation throughout his political
career as a tactic to counteract mounting public criticism. As in the previous
instances, Lutsenko knew his request would not be accepted. Instead,
parliament’s rejection of his resignation request is his way of achieving a
vote of confidence before the public, both in Ukraine and in the West. 

We believe the leaked lead that Lutsenko is referring
to is the accusation, published on Nov. 5 by civil activists, against MP Mykola
Palamarchuk for ordering the attack against Handziuk. Palamarchuk is the
“smotriashchiy” for the police in the Kherson region, as alleged by the
activists of the “Who Ordered Katia Handziuk?” movement. “Smotriashchiy” is
criminal jargon for top supervisor and refers to an authority who offers
political cover and keeps the established order in a governing body or region.

We believe the best hope for Ukraine’s civil society
activists is for Western authorities to pressure the Ukrainian government. We
believe such pressure will likely occur in the case of Handziuk – whose murder
was particularly gruesome – with the withholding of programs, loans or grants
in exchange for results. The Poroshenko administration will continue to back
local authorities with alleged criminal ties, like Odesa Mayor Gennady
Trukhanov, because of their success in suppressing pro-Russian separatists.