Donetsk, Apr 25 – DAN. Ukrainian courts have dismissed 70 percent of cases concerning failure to pay pensions in Donbass, said human rights activist, lawyer Elena Lavrenova in her testimony to the Ukrainian People’s Tribunal for Poroshenko’s regime war crimes against Ukrainian citizens (UPT).

"In late June 2014 I began collecting statements from pensioners who do not receive payments, as a volunteer. My job was to explain what could be done in case Ukraine stops paying pensions. In 2015 collecting cases was centralized," she said testifying as an expert.

She said the Post ceased operation in Donbass in summer 2014 and cases were filed with Ukrainian courts via the Russian Federation.

"As of today, we collected 9,630 complaints. Ukrainian courts have reviewed 30 percent of those, 70 percent have been dismissed or have not been reviewed," Lavrenova said.

The Ukrainian People’s Tribunal for Poroshenko’s regime war crimes against Ukrainian citizens (UPT) has resumed hearing of the crimes related to the Donbass crisis.

On April 17, the court wound up two-days hearing reviewing crimes related to war propaganda by the Poroshenko's regime. Earlier the tribunal heard cases on using armed forces against civilians, formation of illegal armed groups, tortures, looting and robbery.

The UPT charged eight people: Ukraine’s president Petr Poroshenko, the minister of internal affairs Arsen Avakov, secretary of the national security and defense council of Ukraine Aleksandr Turchynov, prime minister Vladimir Groisman, commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko, defense minister Stepan Poltorak, chairman of the Verkhovnaya Rada Andrey Parubiy, ex-prime-minster Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

On March 15, the Initiative Group of Ukrainian citizens living in Donetsk and Lugansk announced the establishment of the Ukrainian People’s Tribunal for Poroshenko’s regime war crimes. The cases will be tried and files reviewed in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and international law.*ot