Getty imagesThe Ukraine government has faced the growing backlash after signing the law that limit the freedom of two anti-corruption agencies to the government of Ukraine.
Controversial Bill National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) control and prosecutor General Control of Special Anti-Corruption Office (SAP), which has been appointed by the President.
Protests in several cities on Tuesday shut down spontaneously.
As the protesters began gathering in Kiev for the second night of protests on Wednesday, Zelancesi accepted public anger and said he would present a new bill to Parliament in response to criticism, although he did not give any more information about what would happen in it.
Western colleagues of Kyiv expressed their displeasure in the law. A spokesman for the European Commission head Ursula von Der Leyen said that he had requested the Ukrainian government to “clarification”.
Zelancesi argued that the provisions should be taken as Nabu and SAPs had been allowing criminal proceedings for years and insisted that they had to be “to be cleaned with Russian effects”.
He signed the bill in the law late on Tuesday after receiving the support of 263 out of 324 MPs.
Many Ukrainians outside Parliament disagree with the decision. Critics say that the law will severely reduce the rights and effectiveness of Nabu and SAP.
Thousands of people gathered outside the President’s office in Kiev to protest on Tuesday night.
Small rallies were also held in Odessa, DNIPRO, LVIV and Sumy despite a continuous threat from night Russian airstrikes. Moscow was the largest opposing governments of the meetings since Moscow started a full -scale invasion of Ukraine.
The fight against corruption has been closely observed with the possibilities of kiev for integration within the European Union-a route that began in 2014, when the anti-government protests excluded Russian President Victor Yankovic in favor of close relations with the West.
The construction of Nabu and SAP was one of the requirements set by the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund a decade ago to move towards a discount on visa restrictions between Ukraine and the European Union.
In 2022, Kiev was awarded the prestigious position of the European Union candidate – a significant development that promoted souls and strengthened the relationship between Ukraine and its European supporters.
Now, there is a concern that Zelanski’s move may reduce the proximity to the west of the Kiev – a reason for which many Ukrainians feel that their country continues to pay the price of the Russian attack. “Corruption remains – the future dies,” read a placard against Kiev.
A spokesperson for von Der Leyen reiterated that the fight against the rule of law and the fight against corruption was the “main element” of the European Union membership – and as a candidate country, Ukraine expected to maintain those standards. “There can be no compromise,” he said.
Getty imagesUkraine has Graft Endemic and the country is currently ranked 105 out of 180 in the Corruption Dharna Index of Transparency International. The rating may be reduced – but still it marks the improvement of 39 digits as NABU and SAP were created in 2014.
Since then, both bodies have been involved in far -reaching investigation into misuse of assets and bribes worth millions of dollars in various ministries and areas.
A joint investigation took place in 2023 Arrest of Supreme Court chief of UkraineVsevolod kniaziev, $ 3m (£ 2.4m; € 2.9m) in relation to bribery. Earlier this month, it also emerged that Nabu discovered at the residence of former Defense Minister Olexi Regunvov.
Now NABU and SAP will have to work under the presidency, which will surprise whether high-profile figures close to the government will be saved from investigation. A protector of Kiev told Radio Liberty that by stopping the freedom of bodies, the government had “destroyed everything worked for years”.
Despite a nationwide ban on mass ceremonies under Marshal Law, more and more resistance was expected in more and more cities in Ukraine on Wednesday evening.
The Ukrainuska Pravada website stated that the “Scandlus” law passed on Tuesday “gave a significant blow to the Ukraine’s European integration process,” another outlet, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, warned, warned that Zelancesi had “stepped towards totalitarianism”.
Major War veteran Maasi Nayam told his 54,000 Facebook followers that he had joined the protests in Kiev as a “duty” for the victims of Russia’s war. He said, “I fought for the nation, for the people and the democratic system,” he said.
European colleagues have also raised the alarm bell. German Foreign Minister Johan Wadeful, and French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Hadadad said, “The law hurried to Ukraine’s European Union,” said Kiev urged Kiev to reverse her decision.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Nabu and SAP said they were deprived of the guarantee that allowed them to compete effectively. He also thanked Ukrainians for his “royal status, active support and anxiety”.
The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine began in Istanbul on Wednesday. But many Ukrainian focus was strongly on the new bill – and not just because there was little solid hope of progress in Moscow or Kiev.
“This is the government’s wrongdoing,” a LVIV resident named Liza told Radio Liberty. “We do not want to fight both Russia and our government.”
