Zalyznychnyi district court of Simferopil passed sentence concerning two officers of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, who headed the attack of the Hairs’ family house in Myrne village in the result of which four members of Mustafa Hair’s family were suffered.
1 February, the court passed sentence in accordance of which charged district inspector of the Simferopil raion department of the Main Board of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine in Crimea (MB IMU) Maksim Pyschyk and the Interior Ministry pensioner Vasyl Vaulin who commanded the Berkut special squad during the operation holding, were sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment with probation period in 3 years, QHA informs.
Besides, the court obligated the Crimean MB IMU to pay off the pecuniary compensation amounting 94.5 thousand hryvnyas to the Hairs’ family. This compensation includes 50 thousand hryvnyas, as compensation for the moral damage, 18 thousand hryvnyas for lost wage and 1,5 thousand hryvnyas for treatment to the head of the family Mustafa Hair, 10 thousand hryvnyas each his son and wife, 5 thousand hryvnyas to his daughter.
In turn, suffered family members are not satisfied with the court’s decision. The Hairs stated to the press after the judicial sitting that they consider the convicted persons as ordinary executing officers that just executed an order from above.
They do not agree with the court’s decision because the compensation amount is not enough to do normal prosthetics for the Hairs’ father. “In this regard, we shall apply to the court of appeal”- Mustafa Hair’s son Eyvaz said.
Nonprofessional acts of the militia officers
It should be reminded that on February 22, 2009, 12 armed officers of the special militia squad Berkut in battle order equipment and masks burst into home where Hairs’ family lived checking the information on the whereabouts of a suspect in the kidnapping. The law enforcers have used special means of neutralization, which led to the injuries of family members.
At the time of the attack by Berkut, there were Mustafa Hair, his wife and son at home. After the attack, Mustafa Hair’s left hand was amputated; and his son was in neurosurgery of the Republican hospital. As a result of accidents M. Hair was got serious bodily injury and was fired of his job.
Immediately after the attack, the Interior Ministry stated that the cause of the incident “were not enough professional acts of the militia officers”, which are not adequately assessed the situation and mistakenly used the special means of neutralization.
In connection with the incident in Myrne, the Simferopil raion public prosecutor's office opened a criminal case. The actions of the special squad are qualified as ‘excess of powers, which led to the grave consequences’.
23 law enforcers were punished by the results of the investigation. Two of them were dismissed from the militia, five were removed from their posts and eight people have been warned about incomplete official compliance. The rest of them were reprimanded and severe reprimand.
By QHA
