Dozens of people were killed and at least 1,000 seriously injured during the protests,.. surrounded and putting up no resistance. Among them was Oleksandr Ostaschenko, aged 32, who was forced to kneel and was beaten with batons.31 He and others were arrested and charged with “organizing mass disorder”, and as soon as their remand hearing was over, all but one had to be hospitalized because of their injuries. Other victims included Iryna Rabchenyuk, aged 51, who suffered a fractured skull and lost the sight in one eye when a passing Berkut officer hit her in the face with a baton while she was watching the protests from the nearby Institutska Street. Dozens of people were killed and at least 1,000 seriously injured during the protests, and although the post-EuroMaydan Ukrainian authorities have promised justice for the victims, those responsible for these human rights violations have for most part enjoyed almost complete impunity for their actions.32Criminal proceedings against unspecified Berkut officers were initiated in connection with this event, but no suspects have been identified and no one has been prosecuted. VENEZUELA: BLINDED BY A RUBBER BULLET “I went out and as soon as the police officer saw me on the balcony, he raised his gun and fired immediately”, John Michael Ortiz Fernández. Amnesty International has documented many cases in which law enforcement officials used excessive force in the context of the pro- and anti-government protests that took place in various parts of Venezuela between February and July of 2014. On several occasions officers fired rubber bullets at people who were clearly unarmed at close range and without giving a clear warning, with the apparent intention of causing maximum injury. On 21 April 2014, 16-year-old John Michael Ortiz Fernández was hit in the left eye by a rubber bullet, when he went out onto the balcony of his home in San Cristóbal (Táchira State). The bullet burned his retina and doctors believed he would not retain more than 30% of his sight in his left eye.33 31 Video footage of the incident is available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flMFIA55SBg 32 Amnesty International, Ukraine: A year after EuroMaydan, justice delayed, justice denied” (Index: EUR 50/001/2015), https://www. amnesty.org/download/Documents/EUR5000012015ENGLISH.pdf 33 Amnesty International, Report 2014/15 – Venezuela section, POL 10/001/2015, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ research/2015/02/annual-report-201415/ COMBATING TORTURE: THE NEED FOR COMPREHENSIVE REGULATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EQUIPMENT Amnesty International | Omega Research Foundation 19