On the evening of 23 July, protests began in various Ukrainian cities over draft law No. 12414, which restricts the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The day before, it was signed by the president.
Source: Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne; Telegraf, online media outlet in the city of Kremenchuk; Ukrainska Pravda correspondents
Details: People have started gathering in Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Kremenchuk, Chernivtsi and Dnipro. In Kyiv, a protest near the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater was scheduled for 20:00.
As calculated by Suspilne, protests were announced in at least 17 cities.
People protesting in Chernihiv.
Photo: Ukrainska Pravda
People protesting in Chernihiv.
Photo: Ukrainska Pravda
*People protesting in Chernivtsi.*Photo: Suspilne
*People protesting in Dnipro.*Photo: Suspilne
*People protesting in Dnipro.*Photo: Suspilne
People protesting in LvivPhoto: Tanya Platsok, Ukrainska Pravda
People protesting in LvivPhoto: Tania platsok, Ukrainska Pravda
The previous day, protests were already held in Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Sumy, Lutsk and other cities.
Background:
On 21 July, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General's Office conducted approximately 80 searches targeting 19 employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in various oblasts of Ukraine.On 22 July, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliamentary) Committee on Law Enforcement backed amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure that would make NABU and SAPO – currently independent anti-corruption institutions – dependent on the decisions of the prosecutor general.On the evening of 22 July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed bill No. 12414.Protests were held in many cities across Ukraine following the adoption of this legislative initiative.
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