Key facts
- President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Viktor Kytsiuk as a judge of Kyiv's Pechersk District Court for life on September 25.
- Kytsiuk is accused of issuing unlawful rulings against protesters during the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution.
- Kytsiuk was charged in 2015 with issuing unlawful rulings, including stripping a protester of a driver's license.
- In 2017, the High Council of Justice declined to appoint Kytsiuk for life due to a criminal case against him.
- A Ukrainian court acquitted Kytsiuk in 2020.
- Activists and legal experts view the appointment as a blow to EuroMaidan ideals and a victory for the corrupt judicial establishment.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Viktor Kytsiuk, a judge accused of issuing unlawful rulings against protesters during the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution, to a lifetime position on Kyiv's Pechersk District Court. The appointment, made on September 25, has ignited significant criticism from activists and legal experts who see it as a step backward for Ukraine's judicial reform efforts.
Kytsiuk is among several judges appointed by Zelensky in September who are alleged to have violated ethics and integrity standards, and to have persecuted EuroMaidan protesters. Activists and legal experts argue that holding such judges accountable was a crucial test for the success of judicial reform in Ukraine.
Kytsiuk's judicial career has been marked by controversy. He was initially appointed a judge in 2009 for a five-year term, which expired in 2014. In 2015, he faced charges for issuing unlawful rulings against protesters, including allegedly stripping a protester of a driver's license despite contradictory testimony. Investigators also suggested unlawful interference in court cases assigned to Kytsiuk and another judge, Oksana Tsarevych, through the use of Kytsiuk's sister's login credentials.
The High Council of Justice decided in 2017 not to appoint Kytsiuk for life due to the criminal case against him. However, the Supreme Court overturned this decision in 2019. In 2020, Kytsiuk was acquitted by a Ukrainian court, a decision some prosecutors were accused of sabotaging. Concurrently, a Constitutional Court ruling annulled criminal liability for unlawful rulings, which legal experts viewed as an effort by the establishment to hinder reforms.