The victims’ claims are based on three main points of the European convention on the protection of human rights and liberties: the right to live, the right not to be subjected to inhuman or humiliating treatment and the right to a fair trial, Kozak says.

The victims’ appeal stresses that Ukraine’s judiciary failed to properly investigate the plane crash during the demostration flights by military aircraft. The authorities cared more about whitewashing generals in charge of the show and finding scape goats.

“In the wake of the disaster on the Sknyliv airfield, I had an interview with the former 14th Air Army commander. Analysing various mistakes made by pilots V. Toponar and Yu. Yehorov, he made an assumption that some of the officers in charge of the show were drunk. “If this scenario is confirmed, there won’t be any investigation at all as too many people will have to take the fall,” Kozak recounts.

It is pointed out in the lawsuit that the pilots’ blood tests taken after the crash disappeared from the case materials. It sure is an indication that the case hadn’t been investigated properly. Blood tests were taken on June 27, 2002 at 16:00. Then they disappeared. Despite prosecutors protests, the disapperance had never been investigated.

As stressed by the plaintiffs, highly placed officials in charge of the air show escaped punishment.“The circumstances of the tragedy that should have been examined by the court, inadequate planning and safety precautions at the show, which were one of the main causes of the tragedy were not considered by the court. The court ruled to examine the actions/inactions of the show superior command in a separate criminal case which was then put on hold. Meanwhile, these circumstances are crucial for a compehensive and fair investigation of the disaster,” Kozak continues.

“As far as I know, one of the reasons why the victims appealed to the court in Brussels was Pres Yushchenko’s decree on pardoning show commander Gen. A.Tretyakov and cutting a sentence to pilot Yehorov. I was wounded in the heart by the decree. The guilt of both officers had been proven in court. After all, 77 people were killed, including 28 children and hundreds injured. I have only one explanation: the presidential secretariat staff was bribed, ” Stefan Kozak said.