Council of Europe raps Ukraine

An official from the Council of Europe, which was set up to promote democracy and human rights, has accused the Ukrainian authorities of failing to properly investigate two high-profile murders.

No-one has yet been charged with the killings of two journalists, Georgy Gongadze and Ihor Alexandrov, whose deaths have sparked huge political protests over the past two years.

The official, Hanne Severinsen, who is responsible for monitoring the situation in Ukraine, told the BBC that - in her opinion - the office of the general prosecutor was looking for legal excuses for not investigating the killings.

She said the council, to which Ukraine belongs, would send experts to Kiev to look into the issue in October.

Hundreds of protesters today again accused President Leonid Kuchma of responsibility for the murder of one of the journalists and called for the head of state's resignation.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service