Open letter from Oleksiy Shevchuk to President of Ukraine and public
Oleksiy Shevchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Bar Association, said that he and his family had received threats and asked the Ukrainian president, the leadership of the Office of the President, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the National Police to provide protection and investigate the incident.
Speaking at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Shevchuk said that, according to him, over the past few days, he and his family had been subjected to pressure and a wave of public discrediting, and subsequently received direct threats to their lives and health. He linked this to the decision to appoint him as a member of the commission for the selection of prosecutors for the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
According to Shevchuk, the threats came after reports of his appointment to the commission, and he considers them to be real. He noted that he had taken security measures and, in his words, temporarily secured his family.
"Over the past few days, my family and I have been subjected to significant hate from marginal elements of our society. But the last straw was that my family and I received direct threats to our lives and health. Yesterday evening, in connection with my appointment as a member of the commission for the selection of prosecutors for the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, my family and I received messages that we were to be physically destroyed," Shevchuk said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
He stressed that he has the status of a special subject under criminal law and appealed to the state leadership and law enforcement agencies to ensure his safety.
Shevchuk also said there might be attempts to fake public statements on social media and mess with electronic voting, which he said could be meant to discredit him as a candidate. He said he's getting ready to talk to the National Police about the threats and possible fake statements and petitions in electronic systems.
Separately, Shevchuk made a number of statements regarding the involvement of certain public figures in information pressure, naming specific individuals.
No official comments from law enforcement agencies regarding the circumstances outlined in the appeal have been released at this time.
Shevchuk stressed that he expects criminal proceedings to be opened on the basis of the threats and called on state authorities to “prevent” attacks on him and his family. He also emphasized that, according to him, he is the only representative of the bar in the relevant commission and links the wave of pressure to his participation in the work of the judiciary.
A video of Oleksiy Shevchuk's statement is available at the following link: