Taras Karasiichuk, the popular head of the Kiev Pride 2012 organising committee,has been beaten for the second time in just six weeks, this time leaving him with a broken jaw.
During the attack on 22 June an unidentified man approached Karasiichuk close to his apartment, asking “Are you a fag?” before kicking him in the head and face.
On 20 May, in a similar incident, Karasiichuk and two other members of the Pride committee were attacked and beaten following a news conference. The conference was held to announce the committee’s decision to cancel the planned Kiev Pride parade, after large numbers of anti-gay protesters arrived in the city and the police refused to provide protection for parade participants.
Under the European Convention on Human Rights, countries must take appropriate measures to allow lawful demonstrations without fear of physical violence by opponents.
“Taras Karasiichuk was clearly targeted by his attacker because he is a gay man who is promoting LGBT rights,” said Rachel Denber of Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should immediately investigate this vicious attack and treat it as a hate crime.”
If identified, the attacker could be prosecuted under article 161 of Ukraine’s criminal code, which provides protection from discrimination or violence on grounds including “race, skin color, political, religious and other convictions, sex, ethnic and social origin”. The article does not specifically name sexual orientation but refers to prohibited acts based on “other characteristics”.
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