Ukraine Rolls Back Short-Lived Anti-Protest ‘Dictatorship Laws’ · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

What the new anti-protest laws meant for Euromaidan protesters at a glance. Translated infographic from Den daily by Euromaidan PR, used with permission.
This post is part of our Special Coverage Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests.
The Ukrainian Parliament voted on January 28, 2014 to revoke nine of the 11 controversial so-called “dictatorship laws“, which were meant to stifle the ongoing Euromaidan protests in the country, only twelve days after they were brought into law by the very same Parliament.
Ukrainians and the international community, however, still seem to be displeased with the results, and while the the country's Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov and his cabinet resigned on the same day, protesters are still in the streets of several Ukrainian cities and opposition leaders say protests will continue until key demands are met. Azarov's official statement regarding his resignation, handed in earlier on Tuesday, January 28, stated:
For the purpose of creating additional possibilities of social and political compromise, for the peaceful solution of the conflict, I’ve made a personal decision to ask the Ukrainian president to accept my resignation from the post of prime minister.
Christopher Miller, editor at the leading Ukrainian English-language newspaper Kyiv Post, covered the voting process and tweeted:
361 lawmakers of 412 in session hall today voted to cancel 9 of the repressive laws passed on Jan. 16. Communists didn't vote. #ukraine
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 28, 2014
Jake Turk, a US-based journalist who has been following the protests closely, commented:
Too little too late? Yanukovych says he'll scrap the antiprotest laws. http://t.co/kaqhOHv8Dl via @RFERL #Ukraine #Euromaidan
— Jake Turk (@randomdijit) January 27, 2014
Euromaidan PR, the “official English-language public relations” site of Euromaidan organizers, reported:
Ukrainians value their freedom. The ‘Dictatorship laws’ caused mass indignation and radicalised protests. 9 of the 11 laws were just revoked in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). But the initiators of the repressive laws and those that falsified the voting results pretend that everything is normal, that 6 people haven’t died, tens are not missing, hundreds not arrested, and two thousands are not injured. The government proposes to give an “amnesty” to those that came to defent the rights and freedoms of ALL as if they are villains.
Calculating the price of freedom: What pressuring the government to revoke the “dictatorship laws” has cost the people of Ukraine, via Euromaiden PR. Image by MaidanSOS, used with permission.
On January 29, however, word spread that President Viktor Yanuckovich had yet to sign the decision to annul the questionable laws. Twitter users like France 24 journalist Gulliver Craggwarned:
#ukraine Yanukovych has NOT signed the cancellation of the anti-protest laws, which I'm told means they are still in force
— Gulliver Cragg (@gullivercragg) January 29, 2014
BBC Global News Editor Olexiy Solohubenko also added:
Not looking good, no amnesty vote in #Ukraine and Yanukovych hasn't signed the bill revoking anti-protest laws. Stalemate again.
— Olexiy Solohubenko (@OS1954) January 29, 2014