Denial for Denial

Despite numerous attempts, interruptions, the blocking of access to the rostrum, and the efforts of parliamentary vice speaker Adam Martyniuk (photo), the parliamentary parties of the SDPU (united) and Regions of Ukraine failed to put on the agenda the question of creating a committee to investigate political repressions in Ukraine.

On April 18 parliament refused to review the two most notorious cases, namely those of Gongadze and Kolesnikov. The Verkhovna Rada did not include in its agenda the hearing of Prosecutor General Sviatoslav Piskun’s information and a report from the parliamentary committee of inquiry about the investigation into journalist Heorhiy Gongadze’s murder. The parliamentary factions “Democratic Ukraine,” the Party of Industrialists and Businessmen of Ukraine, Regions of Ukraine, and the SDPU (united) did not take part in the voting. The two latter parties thus expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that parliament did not support their initiative to create an interim committee of inquiry to investigate Kolesnikov’s case and Ruslan Bodelan’s dismissal from his post as mayor of Odesa. The MPs again refused to discuss this question, which led to access to the parliamentary rostrum being blocked by members of the SDPU (united) and the Party of Regions. Oleksandr Peklushenko, member of the latter party, said that the parliamentarians will not free access to the rostrum until this problem is solved.

Speaking from the parliamentary rostrum, MP Taras Chornovil once again stressed that “Kolesnikov’s case is a political one.” Member of the SDPU (united) Nestor Shufrych said that today many teachers and other state-employed workers are being fired because they did not vote for Yushchenko. In turn, member of Our Ukraine Yaroslav Kendzyor stressed that, in his opinion, the racket around Kolesnikov’s case is nonsensical. “All this noise that we are hearing lately sparks Homeric laughter,” said Kendzyor.

Hryhory Omelchenko, chairman of the committee investigating the Gongadze case, thinks that there was no report from the committee because some officials did not want to hear it. The parliamentarian noted that he was surprised by a request made by President Viktor Yushchenko, who, according to parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, asked that the report of the committee of inquiry not be heard so as not to politicize the situation. Omelchenko noted that the committee had voted for Lytvyn’s resignation as the head of Verkhovna Rada and had expressed no confidence in Prosecutor General Piskun. “Of course, all these drafts of resolutions would have been included in the parliamentary agenda,” said the MP.