Owner of billboards critical of the government fined
The Dniprodzerzhynsk City Council has, at the application of a Party of the Regions deputy Halyna Kurol, cancelled the permit issued for external advertising issued to Vitaly Kupriy. As reported here, the billboards, ordered by Mr Kupriy, a deputy from the rightwing VO Svoboda Party and produced by his friend, Maksym Holosny, were pulled down. They have hard-hitting criticism of the present government in humorous form. The one that has been widely circulated, especially on the Internet, shows cat a with an elderly woman who says: "I found out my grandson voted for the Party of Regions, so I rewrote [my will] to give my house to the cat."
Mr Kupriy told Radio Svoboda that the State Inspectorate on Consumer Rights has imposed a fine of 1, 700 UAH [1 EUR = 10.5 UAH] “for the lack of information about the cost of services in putting up posters of the VO Svoboda Party.
Mr Kupriy says that he plans to appeal both the fine and the decision to withdraw the permit. He considers it absurd to impose a fine for putting up billboards critical of the authorities without receiving any profit for this.
15 of the billboards which belong to Vitaly Kupriy, known for bringing law suits against the President, were ripped down during the early hours of 15 August. Mr Kupriy said at the time that the police were not reacting. The latter claimed that they were carrying out a check.