Police question FEMEN activist in case on sawing down of memorial cross

13:59

The police have questioned the leader of the women's movement FEMEN, Hanna Hutsol, in connection with a criminal investigation into the sawing down of a memorial cross in the center of Kyiv.

Hutsol was questioned on Monday in Pechersky district police department, Interfax-Ukraine learned at the Interior Ministry.

Meanwhile, FEMIN said on Monday that three of its activists - Inna Shevchenko, Hanna Hutsol and Oksana Shachko had been summoned for questioning.

"FEMEN links the opening of a criminal case into the sawing down of the cross to the recent demand by President [of Ukraine Viktor] Yanukovych to punish to the fullest extent of the law the participants of this 'vandalism,'" the movement said, adding that the criminal proceedings were launched on the date the president made this statement - October 17.

According to the organization, Pechersky district police branch has twice refused to open a criminal case and the prosecutor's office has twice canceled the police order. On October 17, the prosecutor's office "gave a direct order to the police to open a criminal case," FEMEN said.

As reported, on August 17, 2012, Ukrainian activists from the FEMEN women's rights movement cut down a cross commemorating Stalin-era reprisal victims in central Kyiv to express their solidarity with the Pussy Riot all-female punk group's three performers, who were sentenced by a Moscow court to two years in prison each for their "punk prayer" at the Cathedral of the Christ the Savior.

Kyiv police opened a criminal case on under an article on hooliganism, but failed to detain anyone.

On August 18, 2012 activists of various oppositional political forces and public organizations installed a new cross to replace the one that was cut down.

On September 5, 2012 it was reported that the leader of Femen, Inna Shevchenko, had left Ukraine for France.