An
opposition activist kidnapped and brutally tortured, Dmytro Bulatov has come to
symbolize the protests in Ukraine. Now he is to receive treatment for his
injuries in the West.
A young man
with a bloody face, his entire left cheek covered in dark blood. He lifts up
his jumper, revealing a big, brown bruise, across his chest and abdomen. There
is also blood on his hands. These are the types of pictures we see regularly
coming from Iraq or Syria, but not out of Ukraine.
'I'll carry
on'
This
picture was taken on January 30, in a village near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The man's name is Dmytro Bulatov, an opposition activist who had been missing
for a week. During his first interview after his ordeal, he said he was
kidnapped on January 22 by two men he did not know. He said he was tortured,
"They cut off part of my ear, drove nails through my hands, they didn't
miss out a single spot on my body."
But he has
vowed continue fighting saying, "I'll carry on." A Kyiv court
confirmed late on Sunday (02.02.2014) that he will be allowed to travel to an
EU country for medical treatment.
It had been
unclear for some time whether he would be allowed to travel. Ukrainian police
had launched an investigation against Bulatov for taking part in the recent
mass unrest as opposition protesters demonstrate against Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovych. The investigation has now been called off, Ukrainian TV
reports.
 |
| Opposition leader Klitschko visited Bulatov in the hospital |
It is the
most brutal in a series of kidnappings of opposition activists so far. Almost
all of the victims were badly beaten. One man, whose hands were tied, died of
hypothermia in the woods. Some opposition leaders have said "death
squadrons" made up of police and criminals are targeting activists. There
is no hard evidence to backup their claims.
Automaidan's
leader
Why was
Bulatov a target and why is it that the bloodied face of a 35-year-old husband
and father, who just a few months ago was posting smiley holiday snaps to his
Facebook page, has become a symbol of the protests in Ukraine?
Bulatov is
one of the leaders of Automaidan, a group of mostly young people who have been
staging motorcade protests since the beginning of the protests last November.
They decorate their cars with European Union flags then drive through the
capital to drum up support for the protests on Kyiv's Maidan, or Independence
Square.
Last December, hundreds of these activists, including Bulatov in his VW Polo, drove to the president's residence near Kyiv. They did not get very far, as police blocked the road.
 |
| Pro-Europe protests started last autumn |
Last December, hundreds of these activists, including Bulatov in his VW Polo, drove to the president's residence near Kyiv. They did not get very far, as police blocked the road.
Automaidan
activists tried to put pressure on other prominent government officials by
driving to their homes to stage protests. While demonstrating in front of
Interior Minister Vitali Zakharchenko's house, one of the activists threw a
dead fish over the fence, calling for his resignation over his involvement in
ending a peaceful protest with violence.
Automaidan
supports Klitschko
Bulatov was
also involved, albeit indirectly, in the most recent events in Kyiv. At a rally
on January 19, he took the stage and demanded that opposition politicians
agreed on one leader. But they refused.
Some of the
demonstrators then made their way to parliament, via Hrushevsky Road. When they
came across police roadblocks, some protesters began throwing Molotov
cocktails. Police responded by using teargas, rubber bullets and stun grenades.
The incident turned into an unprecedented week-long street battle.
But Bulatov
and other leaders of Automaidan distanced themselves from the violent
protesters. "Today, a terrible thing happened," they said in a
January 19 declaration. "Those coordinating Automaidan couldn't agree,
some called on the protesters to go to the parliament building," it read.
Bulatov
wrote that he was against "gratuitous violence" and bloodshed.
Shortly before being kidnapped Bulatov said Automaidan recognized Vitali Klitschko of the UDAR party as the leader of the protests. Klitschko was one of
the first visitors Bulatov received in hospital.
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