94 deaths during clashes at Instytutska Street). The majority of deaths was caused by gunshot
wounds.
First victims who died from gunshot wounds were activists Serhiy Nihoyan and
Mykhaylo Zhyznevsky.
To prevent perjury of the cause of death by law enforcement officials, the Commissioner
tasked two NPM Department staff, experts in forensic medicine, with being present during
autopsy of the diseased and record the correctness of forensic experts’ actions.
Relevant acts of response to violations of the right to life were sent to the Office of the
Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
The rampant course of events during 18-20 February 2014 led to a horrific tragedy.
According to official data, more than 80 persons died, and hundreds were hospitalized with
gunshot wounds.
On 20 February, the Commissioner issued a public statement urging to stop the
bloodshed in the streets of Kyiv and cities of Ukraine and save human lives. The Commissioner
also called out the criminal actions of law enforcement who had used firearms against
protesters, and emphasized that no international standards allow for use of lethal force to stop
mass riots.
1.2. Torture and cruel treatment
During the Revolution of Dignity, the staff of the Secretariat of the Commissioner
recorded multiple facts of bodily injuries to activists by law enforcement bodies, in particular
Berkut special unit and the Internal Military Force.
The Secretariat established regular exchange of information with the department of
health of Kyiv City State Administration for the purposes of recording instances of bodily
injuries resulting from torture and cruel treatment, in particular in relation to persons who had
come to healthcare institutions in Kyiv.
There were 2394 ambulance calls registered during mass protests in Kyiv. Inpatient
healthcare institutions in Kyiv admitted 1890 persons.
Analysis of information provided by medical institutions shows that activists sought
medical assistance or were brought to hospitals due to bodily injuries in the form of trauma
from blunt object impact (craniocerebral trauma of different gravity level, bone fractures,
damage to internal organs), firearms and explosives injuries (from explosions of specialized
grenades – stun grenades, tear gas grenades), chemical and heat burns etc.
We shall provide several examples of injuries sustained by persons brought to
healthcare institutions in Kyiv on 18 February 2014:
– Vitaliy Ihorevych D. sustained an open cerebrocranial injury with brain bruising from
a rubber bullet during a clash with Berkut and internal military force officials;
– Mykola Ihorevych Ya. sustained a bullet injury to soft tissues of the back and
fragmentation wounds of the soft tissues of the right shin during a clash with Berkut officials;
- Oleksiy Ihorevych R. sustained a bullet wound to the right hand with fractures of 5th
metacarpal bone and proximal phalanx of the 5th finger of the left hand during the attack on
Budynok Profspilok (the House of Trade Unions);
8