A gunman opened fire overnight on a group of police officers near the Kharkiv City Council and later he was killed by police

There was an unsuccessful attempt to start a fight, but police prevented the conflict

Having studied the experience of legal system reforms in various countries, I can say that even though I am critical about every process in Ukraine, still I am an optimist

Law enforcement reforms

In early February, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks paid an urgent visit to Ukraine to assess the situation with human rights, including the way law enfrocers treated protesters, in Kyiv and regions. Based on his visit, a report will be drafted to be presented to the CoE Committee of Ministers. The Ukrainian Week talks to Mr. Muižnieks about his preliminary findings back in Strasbourg

MPs pass a resolution to stop the use force by the police in downtown Kyiv, The Ukrainian Week’s journalist reports from Parliament

The bodies of eight people shot dead covered with blankets are on Maidan Nezalezhnosti close to the Kozatskyi hotel

Representatives of the Maidan NGO were not present at the talks with National Security and Defence Council Chair Andriy Kliuyev, Advisor to President Andriy Portnov and Justice Minister Olena Lukash assigned to seek a solution to the current crisis in negotiations with the civil society and opposition by President Yanukovych, says ex-Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko

Vitaliy Klitschko and Andriy Parubiy guarantee officers no persecution and the right to serve in posts equivalent to the ones they hold now should they withdraw and cease all forceful actions demanded by Yanukovych in a written statement posted on the EuroMaydan account in Facebook

The choice of scapegoats for the bloody dispersal of the EuroMaidan proves that Yanukovych is leaning towards the pro-Russian lobby

Police have abandoned an attempt to dislodge anti-government protesters from their strongholds in Kiev on the 11th of December. Clashes lasted the whole night, BBC reports.

Police officers admit that the Ukrainian law enforcement system is so corrupt that they themselves have become trapped

The flight of Petro Melnyk, a notorious rector of the National Tax Service University arrested while taking a bribe, from under house arrest exposes the severe degradation of Ukrainian law enforcement

According to various estimates conducted by international organizations, Ukraine ranks from second to fourth in the number of police officers in the country per person. Usually, we are ranked next to Russia, Belarus and Brunei… This news brings to mind two questions: 1) Are we really that rich? 2) Are we really so protected?

Frustration with the government, the attacks of professionally trained thugs and the lawlessness of the police are the current reality in rebellious Pervomaisk

In Ukraine, an army of street fighters is being established under the supervision of law enforcers

The Ukrainian Week talks to one of the athletes, who earn their living at rallies and in raider attacks, about May 18 and how the fighters end up in politics

Amnesty International urged Ukrainian authorities to stop the high level of torture and other ill treatment which is being carried out by its police, is said in a statement on the official website of the organization.

Georgian ex-Deputy Minister of Justice talks about the implementation of the new Criminal Procedure Code in Ukraine and Georgia’s criminal justice reform experience

The SBU, Ukraine’s Security Service, inherited its style from the Soviet KGB. It keeps playing into the hands of its Russian counterpart, the FSB and persecutes opposition members, as well as Ukrainian and foreign activists

The future adequate Ukrainian government will have to create powerful national security services, otherwise Ukraine’s sovereignty will always be at risk. So far, the SBU is run by people whose biographies, earlier careers and views are connected to one foreign state that has never accepted Ukraine’s independence.

Copwatch, a global campaign to stop police brutality, is gaining ground in Ukraine as local ‘copwatchers’ observe and document police misconduct

The behaviour of the supreme power in Ukraine in the last 20 years has consistently called forth doubts regarding Ukrainian sovereignty.

Oligarch-owned private “armies” are set to benefit from the new law on security activities

Personnel rotations began at Ukrainian law enforcement agencies after the election.

The government is only pretending to fight crime among the ranks of law enforcement

The Ukrainian police force outnumbers the military. Armed to the teeth, it can only fight against citizens but not protect them

Ukraine’s police lack professionalism and are being used to achieve political goals rather than perform their main duties

Ukraine is attracting hitmen largely because corruption is rampant and professionals are leaving law enforcement agencies

On 12 October, Amnesty International presented a report on widespread tortures and ill-treatment, racketeering, and arbitrary detention by Ukrainian police