some recent attacks on civil rights activists. From wiki
On 24 December 2013 an armed assault was conducted in downtown of Kharkiv on co-organizer of protest in Kharkiv Dmytro Pylypets. He received 12 stab wounds.[331][332] In the early morning of 25 December at 01:30 Tatiana Chornovil, a well known Ukrayinska Pravda journalist, Euromaidan social-activist, and Batkivshchyna party member was brutally assaulted near Boryspil International Airport in Boryspil. Chornovil's car was rammed off of the road by a Porsche Cayenne and two unidentified assailants dragged her from her car, beat her, and threw her in a roadside ditch. The attack took place hours after Chernovil published an article on a posh suburban residence which she claimed was being built for MVS [Minister of Internal Affairs] head Zakharchenko.[333] Euromaidan activists called for a picketing of the Ministery of Internal Affairs at 8 am, in which hundreds attended, calling for Zakharchenko's resignation.[334][335][336] Chornovil was hospitalized with a broken nose, a concussion and multiple bruises.[336] The driver of the car was later arrested, who then after police questioning identified the two other attackers, one of which was arrested.[337][338] The OSCE and U.S. embassy in Ukraine condemned the attack.[336] Opposition parties accused the authorities of being behind the attacks, while a statement from Olena Bondarenko of the Party of Regions categorized the attack as spontaneous violence caused by Euromaidan, and blamed the opposition.[339]
On the 20th of December a person died presumably after being beat up by Berkut.
According to the statement by the close friend of the deceased: On the 18th of December, Kyiv, Pavel Mazurenko (40 y.o.) on his way home was stopped by 3 Berkut officers. They asked him to show the passport, which he didn't have, only a scanned copy. On this basis officers concluded he was a Euromaidan activist [it is common practice for those paying for the participation in political actions to take away passports until the action is in progress] and beat him up severely. He managed to get home by himself and called for the ambulance. He was treated at home but voluntarily refused hospitalization [because of low quality medical help and high costs (compared to incomes) Ukrainians often try to refrain from hospitalization]. After implications he was hospitalized but it was too late.
Forensic investigation concluded he died from pneumonitis, a diagnosis his wife can't accept.
Cheerio we need an update! There's no news about the situation in polish TV anymore... At least you can listen some awesome stuff like Океан Ельзи when you stand there in the cold!
Today the Ukrainian Parliament approved a set of laws. The way those have been approved is basically a fraud. The voting was done not through an electronic voting system (which was working just fine), but by raising hands. Every time the number of positive votes was the same at 235 and the calculation was somehow done manually in just a few seconds. About the laws:
1) Rehabilitation of Berkut and other police officers for their actions against peaceful protesters and journalists.
2) Participation in massive public order violations, disturbances of normal transport traffic (and other violations of the similar kind) can be punished by a fee of 150-250 minimal monthly wages or up to two years in prison. So participation in peaceful demonstrations on Maidan is basically a criminal offense now. In addition further restrictions on mass protests have been added. Setting up a tent, carrying a mask or a hard hat at the wrong time and place is punishable by up to 15 days in prison. Moving in a car column with more than 5 vehicles without road police ratification can be punished by a fee of up to 50 minimal monthly wages or a vehicle confiscation.
3) Mobile Sim-cards can't be purchased without a passport from now on. Current Sim-card users would probably have to sign contracts with their service providers or have their service denied.
4) All Ukrainian websites operating as internet mass media are to be properly registered as information agencies or face severe sanctions. Needless to say many Ukrainian internet news agencies might have problems receiving a license. Also some kind of institution will be created and granted power to force ISP's into denying access to such websites. Previously a court's order was needed.
5) New enactment has been added about the extremist activities. Extremist activities involve calls to overthrow the government via mass media (internet social networks included). The penalty is 200-800 minimal monthly wages or prison sentence up to 3 years.
6) Slender is now a criminal offense. Slender is a deliberate distribution of false information about somebody. Punishment - up to two years in prison. It is expected that the law would be used against the journalists and oppositional politics who are looking too much into what current officials can afford with their low official salaries. Since it is almost impossible to prove ownership unless the authorities are willing to disclose information almost any information of such kind can be categorized as slender.
7) Collection of confidential information about judges or police officers or it's publication is against the law and can be punished by a fee of 200-400 minimal wages or 6 months prison sentence.
8) A concept of "foreign agent" has been introduced. It includes the civil organizations receiving grants from abroad. Such organizations would be additionally taxed and would need to make reports of their activities on monthly basis.
The laws must be signed by Yanukovich and published to be in effect.
When I was watching the news yesterday it struck me how the pro-presidential majority after approving the laws started singing the national anthem, given I had never seen them do that before. There had been a sense of deja vu and today I realized where I had seen a moment like that.
1:12:40 If you watch the movie starting 3 minutes before that, you'll see the analogy between the moments is quite frightening.
According to amendments adopted on January 16 to parliamentary regulations, parliament can decide if a lawmaker can be stripped of immunity.
The leader of the ruling Party of Regions faction in parliament, Oleksandr Yefremov, told reporters that now it will be "scary" for some lawmakers "to be heroes without parliamentary mandates."
The leader of the opposition Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) faction, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, told journalists that the parliamentary session was illegitimate as its goal was to make it possible to persecute opposition lawmakers.
That seems just as scary. Essentially Yanukovich can remove political opponents a lot easier. The quote from the member of Yanukovichs party is particularly scary: Either you have the backing of the majority of parliament in what you say or you will get punished. Essentially these laws are useful tools for a possible future crack-down on free speech and the opposition.
It seems a major move towards Russia and Belarus and a complete halt of any future involving EU.
On January 17 2014 04:52 Cheerio wrote: Ok, this is important.
Today the Ukrainian Parliament approved a set of laws. The way those were approved is basically a fraud. The voting was done not through an electronic voting system (which was working just fine), but by raising hands. Almost every time the number of positive votes was the same at 235 and the calculation was somehow done manually in just a few seconds. About the laws:
1) Rehabilitation of Berkut and other police officers for their actions against peaceful protests and journalists.
2) Participation in massive public order violations, disturbances of normal transport traffic (and other violations of the similar kind) can be punished by a fee of 150-250 minimal monthly wages or up to two years in prison. So participation in peaceful demonstrations on Maidan is basically a criminal offense now. In addition further restrictions on mass protests have been added. Setting up a tent, carrying a mask or a hard hat at the wrong time and place is punishable by up to 15 days in prison. Moving in car columns with more than 5 vehicles without road police ratification can be punished by a fee of up to 50 minimal monthly wages or vehicle confiscation.
3) Mobile Sim-cards can't be purchased without a passport from now on. Current Sim-card users would probably have to sign contracts with their service providers or have their service denied.
4) All Ukrainian websites operating as internet mass media are to be properly registered as information agencies or face severe sanctions. Needless to say many Ukrainian internet news agencies might have problems receiving a license. Also a special commission has the authority to force ISP's into denying access to such websites.
5) A new enactment has been added about extremist activities. Extremist activities involve calls to overthrow the government via mass media (internet social networks included). The penalty is 200-800 minimal monthly wages or prison sentence up to 3 years.
6) Slender is now a criminal offense. Slender is a deliberate distribution of false information about somebody. Punishment - up to two years in prison. It is expected that the law would be used against the journalists and oppositional politics who are looking too much into what current officials can afford with their low official salaries. Since it is almost impossible to prove ownership unless the authorities are willing to disclose information almost any information of such kind can be categorized as slender.
7) Collection of confidential information about judges or police officers or it's publication is against the law and can be punished by a fee of 200-400 minimal wages or 6 months prison sentence.
8) A concept of "foreign agent" has been introduced. It includes civil organizations receiving grants from abroad. Such organizations would be additionally taxed and would need to make reports of their activities on the monthly basis.
The laws must be signed by Yanukovich and published to be in effect.
Ukraine can kiss EU accession goodbye.. No way the EU is going to let a totalitarian country into the Union. Those laws are insane. Good luck out there guys..
Austrian media draws a picture of a divided country. The east of Ukraine wants to move nearer to the EU and the west leaning more towards Russia. Is this true? Can Ukrainians imagine a split of their country?
On January 20 2014 09:05 xpldngmn wrote: Austrian media draws a picture of a divided country. The east of Ukraine wants to move nearer to the EU and the west leaning more towards Russia. Is this true? Can Ukrainians imagine a split of their country?
As Russian resident, i will tell you. It's since the past. Western Ukraine was Poland for a long time, since Commonwealth of Poland time. They're very close to Poland still, supporting Ukranian forces who were fighting with Nazi Germany and don't like Russians at all. But it's a bit silly to said to whole people from there, because i have lots of friends from Lviv and close cities.
Eastern Ukraine was almost every time part of Russia, because of it there are almost 95%, i guess, who speaks Russian instead of Ukranian. And there are cities like Donetsk, who have huge resources which develop is basically financed by Russia and have Russian technologies.
Central Ukraine is Kiev, Chernigov and some more historically close to Russia territories, so we can send them to Western part from your definition. And also there is a South Ukraine, with good climate + Crimea, who was Russian but was legated to Ukraine by Khrushchev basically just for lulz lol. They're close to Russia as well.
And there is a lot of talk that Ukraine will be really divided because they can't have united country but i hope that they will stay safe and sovereign. They have amazing country with some problems, hope they will stop to dislike Russian people as well, sometimes it's sad. ):
On January 20 2014 08:29 oo_Wonderful_oo wrote: Are there any Ukranians who really want to be in European Union?
I'm just curious why do you want it. If you want it ofc, or it's just mainstream to be on Euromaidan.
This isn't about EU anymore. This is about Ukraine turning into a totalitarian state.
Do you really think that Russia is totalitarian, lol? We have more fucking freedom than every European country probably or United States. :D I'm speaking about my country though because some of those laws are working here, except probably different punishment for public meetings, but it's very hard to actually fail the rules to be fined more than something like 15$.
And we're not even close to Northern Korea for example or Cambodia when there was Pol Pot.
On January 20 2014 09:05 xpldngmn wrote: Austrian media draws a picture of a divided country. The east of Ukraine wants to move nearer to the EU and the west leaning more towards Russia. Is this true? Can Ukrainians imagine a split of their country?
As Russian resident, i will tell you. It's since the past. Eastern Ukraine was Poland for a long time, since Commonwealth of Poland time. They're very close to Poland still, supporting Ukranian forces who were fighting with Nazi Germany and don't like Russians at all. But it's a bit silly to said to whole people from there, because i have lots of friends from Lviv and close cities.
Western Ukraine was almost every time part of Russia, because of it there are almost 95%, i guess, who speaks Russian instead of Ukranian. And there are cities like Donetsk, who have huge resources which develop is basically financed by Russia and have Russian technologies.
Central Ukraine is Kiev, Chernigov and some more historically close to Russia territories, so we can send them to Western part from your definition. And also there is a South Ukraine, with good climate + Crimea, who was Russian but was legated to Ukraine by Khrushchev basically just for lulz lol. They're close to Russia as well.
And there is a lot of talk that Ukraine will be really divided because they can't have united country but i hope that they will stay safe and sovereign. They have amazing country with some problems, hope they will stop to dislike Russian people as well, sometimes it's sad. ):
On January 20 2014 08:29 oo_Wonderful_oo wrote: Are there any Ukranians who really want to be in European Union?
I'm just curious why do you want it. If you want it ofc, or it's just mainstream to be on Euromaidan.
This isn't about EU anymore. This is about Ukraine turning into a totalitarian state.
Do you really think that Russia is totalitarian, lol? We have more fucking freedom than every European country probably or United States. :D I'm speaking about my country though because some of those laws are working here, except probably different punishment for public meetings, but it's very hard to actually fail the rules to be fined more than something like 15$.
And we're not even close to Northern Korea for example or Cambodia when there was Pol Pot.
these posts have exactly the quality one would expect from a poster who can't tell the difference between West and East.
On January 20 2014 09:05 xpldngmn wrote: Austrian media draws a picture of a divided country. The east of Ukraine wants to move nearer to the EU and the west leaning more towards Russia. Is this true? Can Ukrainians imagine a split of their country?
As Russian resident, i will tell you. It's since the past. Eastern Ukraine was Poland for a long time, since Commonwealth of Poland time. They're very close to Poland still, supporting Ukranian forces who were fighting with Nazi Germany and don't like Russians at all. But it's a bit silly to said to whole people from there, because i have lots of friends from Lviv and close cities.
Western Ukraine was almost every time part of Russia, because of it there are almost 95%, i guess, who speaks Russian instead of Ukranian. And there are cities like Donetsk, who have huge resources which develop is basically financed by Russia and have Russian technologies.
Central Ukraine is Kiev, Chernigov and some more historically close to Russia territories, so we can send them to Western part from your definition. And also there is a South Ukraine, with good climate + Crimea, who was Russian but was legated to Ukraine by Khrushchev basically just for lulz lol. They're close to Russia as well.
And there is a lot of talk that Ukraine will be really divided because they can't have united country but i hope that they will stay safe and sovereign. They have amazing country with some problems, hope they will stop to dislike Russian people as well, sometimes it's sad. ):
On January 20 2014 08:29 oo_Wonderful_oo wrote: Are there any Ukranians who really want to be in European Union?
I'm just curious why do you want it. If you want it ofc, or it's just mainstream to be on Euromaidan.
This isn't about EU anymore. This is about Ukraine turning into a totalitarian state.
Do you really think that Russia is totalitarian, lol? We have more fucking freedom than every European country probably or United States. :D I'm speaking about my country though because some of those laws are working here, except probably different punishment for public meetings, but it's very hard to actually fail the rules to be fined more than something like 15$.
And we're not even close to Northern Korea for example or Cambodia when there was Pol Pot.
these posts have exactly the quality one would expect from a poster who can't tell the difference between West and East.
EPT![[image loading]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/q71/1521358_681832971861517_1698323213_n.jpg)
