Ukraine has announced protesters arrested in anti-government unrest rocking the country will be granted an amnesty, in a minor victory for the opposition after ending its occupation of Kiev city hall.
Activists vowed to maintain pressure on authorities over a host of other major demands, nearly three months after anger over President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to reject an EU trade deal in favour of closer ties with Russia boiled over into unrest.
And while city hall and many other highly symbolic public buildings occupied by protesters were vacated on Sunday - prompting the amnesty announcement - Kiev's iconic Independence Square remained under opposition control, the sprawling tent city barricaded off on all sides from riot police.
"The (amnesty) law comes into force from February 17, 2014, and stipulates that charges against people having committed offences ... will be dropped," Ukraine prosecutors said in a statement late on Sunday.
Yanukovych conditionally approved the law at the beginning of the month as he sought to pacify protesters following deadly unrest in Kiev that shocked the country.
It promised to release detained protesters and drop charges against them but only if public buildings occupied by activists in Kiev and other cities were vacated.
"I am satisfied," said Ruslan Andriyko, a protester who had managed the day-to-day running of the occupied city hall, which had become the "headquarters of the revolution".
"Despite a difficult decision, we succeeded in overcoming emotions and ensuring that the law came into force," Andriyko said.
Ending the occupation of city hall had come under strong criticism earlier Sunday at a mass rally on Independence Square.
"It's a bad decision... We can't trust the authorities, they're crooks. The opposition is making a big mistake," said Volodymyr Penkivski, a 56-year-old protester, who had travelled from northern Ukraine.
"Yanukovych will take other (protesters) hostage. We can't beat a retreat. Otherwise we will all go to prison."
EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, meanwhile, had maintained pressure on Ukraine's interim government in comments earlier on Sunday, pushing them to grant the amnesty.
"I expect such action to be taken without delay so as to facilitate the political dialogue in parliament this week," she said.
Anger on the street came to a head on Sunday afternoon, with protesters wearing helmets and holding batons threatening to retake city hall if the amnesty was not officially granted.
