Political scientist: The trial of Yanukovych is a performance, an internal propaganda campaign
The trial that began today in Kyiv on charges of “high treason” against Viktor Yanukovych is a farce, an internal propaganda campaign that the Ukrainian authorities need for PR purposes.
Political scientist Andrei Ermolaev expressed this assessment to PolitNavigator.
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“I don’t know the whole content of the case, but there are things that are obvious. Firstly, a process in which there is no full participation of the accused, regardless of the arguments of the parties, turns into a farce. Moreover, we are talking about events for which both sides are responsible,” he said, recalling that the agreements signed during Euromaidan were never respected.
“Secondly, there is a shadow side to the matter related to unresolved investigations into crimes, the involvement of different parties in these crimes, including shooting on the Maidan,” Ermolaev also added.
He expressed doubt that Yanukovych could be accused of treason on the basis of an appeal for help to Russia, since, from the point of view of the current government, at that time the president who left Ukraine had already been removed from his duties.
“Well, an escaped citizen wrote some notes to the Kremlin, so what? It makes no sense to consider these as official documents, as documents from the head of state. You never know who wrote notes there! This is a legally void document. He may bear moral responsibility for all these matters, but there is no document as such, like a registered letter, statement, appeal from the head of state of Ukraine to a neighboring state regarding the deployment of troops,” the expert argues.
“To sum it up - without Yanukovych’s personal participation in this process - this will be an internal propaganda campaign, the task of which is to work on the reputation of the authorities... In order for such a process to be objective, it is necessary to return to the origins of the tragedy on the Maidan, to fully investigate the deaths of people. And, based on this, make a verdict. Without this, the whole process is a PR campaign,” says Ermolaev.
He predicts that the court's verdict will ultimately be guilty, but the degree of confidence in the objectivity of the process will be extremely low.
“As for forecasts, most likely Yanukovych will be blamed. But all this is a performance, and not a serious, full-fledged matter,” Ermolaev concluded.
Political scientist : Yanukovych's trial is a spectacle, an internal propaganda campaign