Constitutional Court allows teachers to speak Russian at school »»
Verkhovna Rada adopts amendments to Law on Presidential Elections »»
CVU criticizes hasty efforts to change electoral legislation »»
CVU concerned over attempts to get more than 20 thousand votes declared invalid »»
Parliament passes a law aimed at fighting child pornography and am reading the law (more in favour than not) »»
Stalin’s grandson wants SBU and Ukrainian judges to be punished »»
Appeal Court condemns Stalin and other leaders over Holodomor »»
Ukraine’s presidential election meets most international commitments »»

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Worrying visit to human rights group
The Vinnytsa Human Rights Group has reported a bizarre and disturbing visit from an officer of the Central Department for Fighting Organized Crime [UBOZ] in the Vinnytsa region. The officer informed the Head of VHG, Dmytro Groisman, that UBOZ had received instructions from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to check the lawfulness of the group’s activities, including their circulation of statements which could harm Ukraine’s international image.
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On non-enforcement of court rulings
In our “law-based country” a person can quietly and with total impunity ignore the rulings of two courts. And he doesn’t have to be a deputy or oligarch. The judicial-legal system in our country is so “flexible” that it can bend under the wish of any, to put it mildly, swindler.
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Absolute majority of Ukrainian cities unlawfully classify their general plans
At a press conference on 29 January, the Luhansk based East Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives [the Centre] reported on the results of their investigation into the accessibility (or lack of such) to the public of the general plans for 70 cities in Ukraine – regional centres and tourist cities.
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Environmental organizations outraged over attempts to hijack public participation
A number of environmental organizations have signed an open statement regarding threats to civic society in Ukraine. They point out that the environmental situation is at crisis level, with water sources contaminated, over 35 billion tonnes of wastes accumulated, over 18 % of the country’s territory suffering from erosion. Since independence the amount of natural reserve land has doubled, yet remains only 4.95% of Ukraine’s territory which is considerably lower than the average for Europe of 15%.
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Prisoners to pay for humanization of prisons?
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada on 21 January 2010 passed a Law on amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code [CPC] and Penal Code (on ensuring protection of prisoners’ rights in penal institutions). The Law envisages a number of changes in prisoners’ conditions, including removal of any restrictions on the number of parcels prisoners may receive, of restrictions on phone calls, albeit from 2012, and certain concessions are introduced for life prisoners.
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