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Protesters demonstrating outside the Ivan Franko theatre, 22 July. Alamy Stock Photo
Protests
Ukrainians take to the streets after Zelenskyy signs new law that targets anti-corruption bodies
It’s the first time Ukrainians have taken to in such numbers since the country was invaded by Russia.
UKRAINIANS HAVE TAKEN to the streets to protest after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill into law that opposition figures have said will leave Ukraine’s anti-corruption bodies disempowered.
The law means that the prosecutor general now has control of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
It has effectively erased the independence of the two bodies. Critics have said that this will mean that Ukraine’s parliament will have the ability to control which cases are pursued.
Zelenskyy has said that this was done to rid the bodies of “Russian influence”.
In an address the President said that cases taken by the bodies had been left “lying dormant”, including criminal proceedings “worth billions”.
He spoke on the bill in a post-midnight address after signing the bill late Tuesday (he makes an address around that time every night).
Kyiv has now seen the biggest protests in years, with hundreds gathering in Kyiv, and elsewhere in the cities of Odesa, Dnipro and Lviv.
Yesterday protestors had gathered in their hundreds near the presidential complex and called for Zelenskyy to veto the law.
As protests go on today, it’s the first time Ukrainians have taken to the streets in these numbers since Russia first launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, said on twitter that she is “seriously concerned” over the move.
Kos further said: “The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU’s independence is a serious step back. Independent bodies like NABU & SAPO, are essential for [Ukraine’s] EU path. Rule of Law remains in the very center of EU accession negotiations.”
Want to know more about what’s happening in Ukraine and why? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to finding good information online.
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