A bill that would revoke the authority of key anticorruption organizations has resulted in rare street demonstrations in Kiev, which is being led by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Critics claim that Zelenskyy’s legislation will increase his political influence and allow for government meddling in notorious corruption cases.
In a show of anti-government anger, which hasn’t been seen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hundreds gathered in central Kyiv on Tuesday to protest the decision, which the European Union called a “serious step back”
Some demonstrators yelled “Veto the law!”
According to 26-year-old game designer Anastasia, “the bill is being rushed through.”
She continued, “It is obvious that this is a targeted effort.”
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) will have new authority under the new law, according to the prosecutor general.
The SAPO prosecutes corruption, while the NABU investigates instances of corruption in state institutions.
The two organizations’ heads were harshly criticized for passing the bill through parliament, and the citizen protests were the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Following Tuesday’s vote, many influential Ukrainians took to social media to blast Ukraine’s decade-long geopolitical ambitions.
In order to maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid, Ukraine must fight corruption. At the protest in Kyiv, it was also deemed crucial to erasing a legacy of Russian rule.
Vladyslava Kirstyuk, 18, said she was left with fond memories of her time growing up in occupied eastern Ukraine following Russia’s covert invasion in 2014.
The teenager told the Reuters news agency, “I know what it means for one person to have all the power when nothing is transparent and everything is conspiring against you.”
“I don’t want this to be the same for us here,” he said.
Two NABU employees were detained on Monday on suspicion of having ties to Russia, and another agency employee was searched for unrelated matters by Ukraine’s domestic security agency.
NABU has found a lot of corruption, including among Zelenskyy’s administration officials.
Source: Aljazeera
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