Reacting to news that Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov has asked Ukraine's Justice Ministry to consider a ban of the Communist Party of Ukraine, GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer declares:

“We firmly condemn these moves towards a future ban on the Communist Party of Ukraine.  You cannot talk about free, fair and democratic elections if an entire democratic opposition party – a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) for many years which received 13.2% in the 2012 elections – is threatened by prohibition just before the elections. This runs counter to all efforts towards de-escalation in the present situation.

In the past we saw violent physical attacks on communist members of the Ukrainian parliament, on heads of regional party committees and other leftist activists. We saw their headquarters being destroyed, a scandal in itself.

In February the European Parliament called on the interim authorities to guarantee democratic rights and freedoms to all democratic political forces and to prevent attacks against them. MEPs called on all political forces to work together, towards a peaceful political transition and to uphold the unity and territorial integrity of the country,  and to facilitate compromise solutions for the future of Ukraine.

We demand that the transitional institutions in Ukraine ensure strict respect for democratic rights and freedoms, human rights, the protection of minorities, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly and speech. We express our deepest solidarity with and support for the Ukrainian Communist Party.”

GUE/NGL Press:

David Lundy +32 470 85 05 09

Gay Kavanagh +32 473 84 23 20

Emily Macintosh +32 470 85 05 08