Interpol places former President Yanukovych on wanted list, former Prime Minister Azarov missing

(Read the update to this story here.)

Interpol finally issued an international red notice for Viktor Yanukovych today, almost a year after the former President fled Ukraine following a failed attempt to violently disperse Euromaidan protesters on Kyivs Independence Square. More than a hundred people were killed when security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

His name appeared on the international police agencys wanted list on charges of misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion of property by malversation, if committed in respect of an especially gross amount, or by an organized group.

The move will come as some relief to Ukraines post-revolutionary government, who have faced fierce criticism for failing to gather enough evidence of human rights violations or corruption to obtain the Interpol red notice and support EU sanctions against former regime officials.

Ukraines Minister for Internal Affairs, Arseniy Avakov, announced that after argument and explanation and months after the submission of a request from the Interior Ministry, Prosecutor General of Ukraine and the Security Service, Interpol had appointed a special commission to deal with the request.

On the international wanted list of Interpol (red notice wanted for extradition to Ukraine): Viktor F. Yanukovych, Olexander Yanukovych, Azarov Mykola Azarov, Bagatyreva Raisa [former Health Minister], Kolobov Yu (former Minister of Finance), Dzekon GB (Former head of Ukrtelecom), he posted on Facebook.

However, while former President Yanukovych appeared on Interpols website this morning, some of the other fugitives listed by Avakov did not appear alongside him, including Yanukovychs son Olexander, former Health Minister Raisa Bagatyreva and former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

An Interpol spokeswoman declined to say whether a red notice had been issued for the former Prime Minister or the others, but told the Kyiv Post that there were only two reasons they would not be listed:

When we issue a red notice it is either made public or restricted to law enforcement agencies, she said. Either there is no red notice for that person, or the country has requested that the red notice not be made public.

Given Avakovs facebook post and the intense pressure on the government to bring its former officials to justice, it seems incredibly unlikely that Ukraine has requested the names be restricted to law enforcement.

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Interpol places former President Yanukovych on wanted list, former Prime Minister Azarov missing