Political freedom in Ukraine must be protected

The Ukrainian justice minister Pavlo Petrenko has announced that the government has submitted a draft bill for approval by parliament no later than the beginning of May that outlaws communist ideology, propaganda and symbols in the country.

The Communist Party of Finland (CPF) condemns this attempt by the Ukrainian government to ban the Communist Party of Ukraine (Komunistychna Partiya Ukrayiny, KPU). The CPF views the Ukrainian justice ministry’s draft bill as a violation of democratic principles, international human rights norms and the Ukrainian constitution, which guarantees political and ideological pluralism, a multi-party system and freedom of political opinion.

The KPU received 13 per cent of the vote at the 2012 parliamentary elections. Its membership two years ago stood at 100 000. This is not a matter of proscribing a marginal grouping but a major political force.

In the wake of the Maidan uprising and the removal of President Yanukovych,there have been numerous varied efforts to disrupt the work of the KPU. In 2014, multiple charges, including treason, were brought against party members, though the charges were upheld in the courts.

The KPU’s parliamentary group was dissolved before the 2014 elections. Due to the disruption and harassment of the party, it received less than five per cent of the vote and lost its presence in parliament. The party’s strongholds in the East of Ukraine and Crimea did not take part in the elections.

The CPF believes that the allegation that the KPU acted as a treasonous vanguard of Russian interests is baseless. The nature of the dispute between Russia and Ukraine is essentially a matter between two capitalist regimes, and the KPU has no interest in supporting Russia.

Ukrainian communists have defended the unity of Ukraine and worked for peace. They also operate in difficult conditions to support left and trade union activity and oppose nationalist extremism.

The CPF calls on the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Finnish members of the Council of Europe to demand that the Ukrainian government complies with the Ukrainian constitution, as well as with international human rights and democratic principles and norms – which include freedom of opinion and assembly.

Political Bureau of the CPF 8.4.2015