Arrests and beatings at Ukraine gay human rights protest

Several participants were beaten up and six detained during an event to unite all human rights advocates against homophobia and censorship by police and anti-gay far right groups. The event was held today (8 December) in the country’s captial Kyiv (also known as Kiev) in honor of International Human Rights Day with title ‘Say NO to legislative violence against human rights!’ About 100 activists gathered in the city center and chanted slogans: ‘Down with the propaganda of homophobia’, ‘No DISCRIMINATION on sexual orientation’, ‘Down with dictatorship , homophobia, censorship ' and others. Initially police arrested some members of a far-right counter demonstration but they were quickly released. Instead police started to arrest the peaceful pro human rights and anti-homphobic campaigners. Olena Shevchenko, the head of Ukraine’s main LGBT charity, Insight, has been arrested and awaits court appearance on 13 December.