[JURIST] The Ukrainian parliament [official website, in Ukrainian] on Tuesday voted to dismiss General Prosecutor Vitaliy Yarema from office for his failure to bring reform and justice in light of last year’s revolution. The proposal stemmed from President Petro Poroshenko [official website] and received 291 votes. Significant government reform is one of the terms of Ukraine’s agreements with the International Monetary Fund [official website] in exchange for billions in financial aid. Poroshenko has made it clear that the General Prosecutor should focus his attention on punishing those who killed during the Maidan protests [Reuters report]. Yarema’s deputy Viktor Shokin was then approved by the parliament to take over the top position.

Russia’s ongoing conflict [BBC timeline] with Ukraine [JURIST news archive] has left the Ukrainian government in a state of turmoil. Last month the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a statement [JURIST report] that at least 5,086 people had been killed since the conflict in Ukraine began in April but expressed concerns that the real figure may be much higher. In November the Ukrainian parliament was able to pass some key legislation pertaining to the protection of human rights [JURIST report], including laws on internally displaced persons, corruption and reform of the Office of the Prosecutor. The Ukrainian government has been subject to significant criticism for human rights violations and their use of incendiary weapons [JURIST report]. In July the OHCHR issued a report documenting what it referred to as the “continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in eastern Ukraine and calling for greater care to prevent civilian casualties [JURIST report]. In April the International Criminal Court opened an investigation [JURIST report] into alleged crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in the Ukraine.