Three semi-naked activists of the notorious Ukrainian feminist movement Femen staged an anti-government performance outside the trial of a former interior minister in Kiev on Thursday.
Yuriy Lutsenko, 46, Ukraine’s interior minister from 2007 to 2010, was arrested in December on charges that he illegally employed and gave an apartment and pension to his former driver.
Watched by journalists and several dozen Lutsenko supporters, the nudist protestors performed a mock beheading, meant to symbolize corruption among former and current Ukrainian politicians.
“We believe that the arrest and persecution of Lutsenko is an indicator of the two clans that are hindering Ukrainians from living normal, European-style lives,” one of the activists told the Focus magazine. “So we are waiting for these two clans to finally claw each other to death.”
Ukrainian media reports said two of the activists were detained, although police have not confirmed the information. Lutsenko’s supporters blocked police from gaining access to the third protestor.
Femen was formed in 2008 as a protest group seeking a more active role for women in society and protesting against various social ills. They say the nudist aspect of their protests is simply a bid to attract attention to the issues they care about. The organization consists mostly of women aged between 18 and 20 and aspires to become a leading European feminist movement.
KIEV, June 9 (RIA Novosti)