The peaceful demonstration was organized to protest at the lack of possibility for several years now to receive land legally for building homes

The Kharkiv authorities, having run roughshod over residents’ rights and the law, then resorted to a pitifully unconvincing imitation of public participation

On 14 June the Dzherzhynsky District Court in Kharkiv found two of the peaceful protesters detained by police in Gorky Park on 28 May guilty of disobeying a police officer (Article 185 of the Code of Administrative Offences]

The planned protest in Odessa was entitled “Exit from Democracy. Password: 2450”. In response to their letter of notification, the organizers were told by the Head of Internal Policy of the Odessa City Council that their protest was unlawful on the grounds of a decree passed back in Soviet times

There is growing feeling that the draft law, as well as containing unwarranted restrictions, is too vague and gives worrying scope for arbitrary interpretation and bans on peaceful assembly.

On 10 June young Luhansk residents joined the nationwide protect “The Police will answer for murder” prompted by the death in police custody of student Ihor Indylo who was studying in Kyiv

The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union has issued the following legal opinion of the bill on peaceful assembly presently awaiting its second reading

It is vital that we demonstrate to the crushing of peaceful protest in Gorky Park has no justification in a democratic country and that such actions must not go unpunished. Please add your voice to our appeal to the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner

100 days it took to come up with a speech about wrenching the country out of crisis and to jeopardize Ukraine’s fairly modest achievements on the road to democracy. At the moment the authorities respond to criticism. With words, yet those demonstrate that they cannot do without an imitation of democracy. And if imitation doesn’t suit?

Y. Zakharov points out that although rulings in administrative cases cannot officially be appealed, any restriction of freedom are subject to appeal. This, he stresses, is the position of the European Court of Human Rights.

The fact that all four are different is indicative of the grotesque absurdity of a situation where police escort thugs who beat up peaceful protesters, while the police see fit to detain only the protesters

According to Ann Paddington from Freedom House: “We are disturbed by the development of events in Ukraine. Ukraine is in the category of free countries, but free countries with some problems. Therefore if even a small deterioration is observed, Ukraine will fall into the category of “partly free” countries.

A rally in support of President Yanukovych passes without obstruction while opposition actions were dispersed. The opposition claim that the police were brutal.

The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union has issued an open statement stressing the need to make public the draft law on peaceful assembly in advance of the imminent vote in parliament and for parliamentary hearings with public involvement

Most impressive that the President recognizes the need for criticism from opponents, but how should we understand serious efforts by the traffic police, the Security Service and others to prevent voices of criticism from being heard?

The draft law which could be passed within the month contains a number of worrying restrictions which would effectively ban spontaneous gatherings and in other ways also seriously endanger freedom of peaceful assembly

Here too the actions of the police were clearly unlawful since a peaceful gathering can only be banned by a court order which was not obtained

The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union points out that such an unwarranted ban fails to comply with case law of the European Court of Human Rights with regard to Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights and sees it as yet another example of a wide-scale clampdown on freedom of peaceful assembly over the last two months.

The District Administrative Court in Kyiv on Friday banned the annual Freedom March for reform of State policy on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs planned for 15 May.

The “Respublica” Institute has issued a statement expressing concern over interference by the Chinese Embassy’s interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs and the resulting violation of freedom of assembly