Kiev has adopted a law making it very easy to ban oppostion political parties purported to be “anti-Ukrainian”. And they will. This is the “democracy” we must sacrifice for. While at least some of the parties lean toward Russia, a lot of these people are Russian-Ukrainians. Does that matter?
So, how do you become anti-Ukrainian? Well, you disagree with President Zalenskyy’s imperative. It affects most of the parties, especially the main opposition party.
The new law outlaws denial of the “aggression against Ukraine,” calling it an internal conflict, civil war, and so on. Any positive remarks about those deemed to be perpetrating “aggression” are prohibited as well. That includes referring to the forces of the breakaway Donetsk as Lugansk republics as “insurgents.”
THE BAN TO COME
The law simplifies the process to ban a political party. It takes a court ruling in the western city of Lviv as long as martial law continues and can’t be appealed.
In March, Ukraine’s National Security Council suspended eleven political parties deemed to be “pro-Russian.” The list included assorted minor, primarily left-wing parties, as well as Ukraine’s second-largest group ‘Opposition Platform – For Life’, led by Viktor Medvedchuk, a businessman with alleged ties to Russia. Having previously been placed under house arrest, in April of last year the politician ended up in the custody of the country’s security services.
It took place after Ukraine failed to enact the Minsk2 agreement enactment – 7 years after Germany and France brokered the agreement with Ukraine and Russia. It meant recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent republics.
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