Protests over law restricting anti-corruption institutions in Ukraine begin in 17 cities – photos
On the evening of 23 July, protests began in various Ukrainian cities over draft law No. 12414, which restricts the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The day before, it was signed by the president.
Source: Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne; Telegraf, online media outlet in the city of Kremenchuk; Ukrainska Pravda correspondents
Details: People have started gathering in Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kremenchuk, Chernivtsi and Dnipro. In Kyiv, a protest near the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater was scheduled for 20:00.
As calculated by Suspilne, protests were announced in at least 17 cities.
People protesting in Chernihiv.
People protesting in Chernihiv.
Later, protests were also reported in Kryvyi Rih, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Kharkiv.
Readers of Ukrainska Pravda also reported about protests in Uzhhorod, Odesa and Ivano-Frankivsk.
The previous day, protests were already held in Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Sumy, Lutsk and other cities.
Background:
- On 21 July, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office conducted approximately 80 searches targeting 19 employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in various oblasts of Ukraine.
- On 22 July, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) voted for draft law No. 12414 that would make the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) – currently independent anti-corruption institutions – dependent on the decisions of the prosecutor general.
- On the evening of 22 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed bill No. 12414.
- Protests were held in many cities across Ukraine following the adoption of this legislative initiative.
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