Romani Man Set on Fire in Ukraine
16 December 2004
According to the Užgorod-based ERRC partner organization Romani Yag, at around 7:00 AM on August 16, 2004, two ethnic Ukrainian men, Mr V. and Mr I. beat and set on fire Mr Yaroslav Shugar, a 20-year-old Ukrainian Romani man, in the southern Ukrainian city of Užgorod. On the day in question, Mr Shugar’s neighbour, Mr V., asked Mr Shugar to wash his car. Mr Shugar agreed and proceeded to wash the car. When he finished, Mr V. asked Mr Shugar to wash two more cars, to which he agreed. When Mr Shugar finished, Mr V. and several friends accused him of having stolen hemp plants growing in the yard. Mr Shugar denied that he had stolen anything and Mr V. and his friend I. began hitting and kicking him all over his body, according to his testimony to the Romani Yag at the end of August. Mr V. and Mr I. then tied Mr Shugar’s hands behind his back and continued to harass him. After some time, according to Mr Shugar, Mr V. retrieved a bottle of paint thinner from his garage and poured the liquid over his head. The solvent began to burn Mr Shugar’s eyes so the men cut the rope with which they had tied his hands together and Mr Shugar proceeded to wash the solvent from his eyes. Mr Shugar reported that as he was washing out his eyes, Mr V. put a lighter to the liquid on him and set him on fire. Mr Shugar managed to extinguish the flame with his shirt and ran away, while Mr V. and Mr I., apparently afraid, offered to pay for his medical treatment. When Mr Shugar reached his house, his relatives called an ambulance, which brought him to the regional hospital where he was treated for burns. According to his medical certificate, No 12751/236, Mr Shugar sustained 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his face and neck. At the behest of his doctor, R.Y. Kuchinka, Mr Shugar’s medical file also states that the burns were a result of arson.
Mr Shugar did not initially file a complaint with the police because someone threatened to throw a grenade at his house. However, on August 31, 2004, Mr Vasyl Didychyn, an attorney with Romani Yag, sent a request to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, demanding that an investigation be opened in the case and that the guilty parties be brought to justice. On September 1, Mr Shugar was called to testify before the Užgorod Police Department and was sent for a forensic medical examination. On the date the publication went to press, there was an ongoing investigation conducted by the Užgorod city police department into the allegation of racially-motived abuse against Mr Shugar. The ERRC and Romani Yag are currently involved in a 3-year Ukraine-wide project aiming to combat human rights abuse of Roma. Funding for the project, which involves a network of fifteen local organisations, is provided by the European Commission and the Renaissance Foundation.
(ERRC, Romani Yag)
