for kiev's main square, the maidan. demonstrators favored closer ties with western europe and less alignment with russia. today, these reformers call themselves the "euro-optimists." >>9 to be an optimist in ukraine, it's a big challenge. because too many years we've spent in this process of transformation. and i still believe the work is not finished. >> this is a very hostile environment. when you feel that the corruption and the old style politicians and the old style of making policy, is very close to you. this is big compromises for us. it was very easy to be heroes on the maidan and it is much more difficult to be heroes here in the parliament. >> reporter: nayyem sparked the euro-maidan protests in november 2013 with a facebook post, asking people to come out against then-president viktor yanukovych. yanukovych had just scuttled a free trade and cooperation agreement with the european union-- under pressure from his ally, russian president vladimir putin. protesters also demanded an end to the country's endemic c

they stood on ma meand maidan st was in the interest of the dutch citizens. we are a trading nation so it's very good when there's an upcoming market there. >> reporter: this referendum is happening because of a petition by more than 400,000 people. it's supported by prominent populace politicians such as vilzers of the far right. he post office the treaty on skeptic grounds. this man jan ross, he and his group succeeded in getting the referendum called. the main reason to vote no is to combat a democratic deficit. >> we can talk about a democracy in ukraine, but a democracy in this country isn't that good at all. >> many people in kiev will hope the ratification process is not derailed. when protestors took to the streets of the mean maidan, fulu membership is still distant. how the dutch vote goes today is being watched closely by europe. whether to leave the eu altogether. opinion polls there put the two neck in neck. the dutch vote may have implications for that but if the turnout here is less than 30% then the you referendum will be void. but that doesn'

the protests were concentrated in the maidan, the central square in kiev, the country's capital.e confrontation turned violent anshots we fired bthe state curity fces. ter several days oclashes, the esident ed but bthen dozens of demonstrators had been killed. members of an elite police unit called the berkut were blamed for the killings. but despite a change in regime, there has been little progress in the investigation and victims' families are skeptical they will ever see justice. >> a place of hopes and dreams and of death. ulitsa institutskaya in downtown kyiv, the street where the revolution against the pro-russian government erupted two years ago. >> it was here in the government district that government forces opened fire on the people. 106 demonstrators died in the uprising, 48 of them on one single day, february 20, 2014. among them was volodymyr chaplinsky, anelectrician from obukhiv, just south of the capital. his family considers him a national hero. they've collected old photos, and mementos from his involvement in the euromaidan protests. they also managed to recov

remember that it was ukrainians on the maidan, many of them your age, reaching out for a future with europe that prompted russia to send in its military. after all that europe endured in the 20th century, we must not allow borders to be redrawn by brute force in the 21st century. so we should keep helping ukraine with its reforms to improve its economy and consolidate its democracy and modernize its forces to protect its independence. and i want good relations with russia and have invested a lot in good relations with russia. but we need to keep sanctions in place until russia fully implements the minsk agreements that we've worked so hard to maintain and provide a path for a political resolution of this issue. and ultimately, it is my fervent hope that russia recognizes that true greatness comes not from bullying neighbors but by working with the world, which is the only way to deliver lasting economic growth and progress to the russian people. now, our collective security rests on a foundation of prosperity, so that brings me to my next point. the world needs a prosperous and growi

remember that it was ukrainians on the maidan, many of them your age, reaching out for a future with europe that prompted russia to send in its military. after all that europe endured in the 20th century, we must not allow borders to be redrawn by brute force in the 21st century. so we should keep helping ukraine with its reforms to improve its economy and consolidate its democracy and modernize its forces to protect its independence. and i want good relations with russia, and have invested a lot in good relations with russia. but we need to keep sanctions on russia in place until russia fully implements the minsk agreements that chancellor merkel and president hollande and others have worked so hard to maintain, and provide a path for a political resolution of this issue. and ultimately, it is my fervent hope that russia recognizes that true greatness comes not from bullying neighbors, but by working with the world, which is the only way to deliver lasting economic growth and progress to the russian people. now, our collective security rests on a foundation of prosperity, so that br

when protesters took to the streets in maidan, the idea was for closer treaty. but full e.u. membership is still distance. how the dutch vote is being watched across europe. the british face a more momentous decision whether to leave the e.u. all together. the polls put the two sides neck and neck. if the turn out here is less than 30% than the referendum will be void. but it doesn't mean that what happens here won't matter. >> whether the parliament would chose to defy the vote of the people is another question. dominic kane, al jazeera. >> former boss knee i can't be leader has demanded to be released from prison while he appeals his war crimes conviction. he was jailed last month for the genocide of 8,000 muslim. s. the 70-year-old said that his health has been declining during the years he has been in custody. the they declined his request to be freed based on the appeal but he would be investigated. >> human rights groups say the number of executions carried out globally more than doubled last year. in a new report they found that 1,634 people were executed last year. th

when political changes happen in ukraine, the people that demonstrated in maidan square.they waived the european flags. however, for many ukrainians europe is a symbol of a place with a higher standard of living, lower corruption than what they experience in the ukraine, and a better life. that's why we saw those european flags there. however, the question is whether the democratic government or the democratically elected government in ukraine is going to be able to provide positive changes: economic, social, and other to the citizens of ukraine. if they're not able to do that, then russia will gain from it because they've been trying to destabilize the region for a long time. so as far as the outcome of the sanctions or the success of the sanctions, what is important is that the sanctions are combined with the fulfillment of the minsk agreements. i'm very glad to see that the minsk agreement has been started. this is the only alternative to discontinuation of the war in eastern ukraine because it was very important to stop people from dying in eastern ukraine, and we jus

remember that it was ukrainians on the maidan, many of them your age, reaching out for a future witheurope that prompted russia to send in its military. after all that europe endured in the 20th century, we must not allow borders to be redrawn by brute force in the 21st century. so we should keep helping ukraine with its reforms to improve its economy and consolidate its democracy and modernize its forces to protect its independence. and i want good relations with russia, and have invested a lot in good relations with russia. but we need to keep sanctions on russia in place until russia fully implements the minsk agreements that chancellor merkel and president hollande and others have worked so hard to maintain, and provide a path for a political resolution of this issue. and ultimately, it is my fervent hope that russia recognizes that true greatness comes not from bullying neighbors, but by working with the world, which is the only way to deliver lasting economic growth and progress to the russian people. now, our collective security rests on a foundation of prosperity, so that bri