People's Committee to Protect Ukraine
Encyclopedia
The People's Committee to Protect Ukraine is a political movement in Ukraine
formed May 2010. The committee intends to hold a mass protest
campaign
in Ukraine
against the policies of President Viktor Yanukovych
.
The parties Ukrainian Republican Party Assembly
, Our Ukraine, Ukrainian Platform, Ukraine Cathedral and All-Ukrainian Public Organization Civil Position intended to make a decision about joining the committee.
One of the initiators of the committee is writer Dmytro Pavlychko
. Present at the opening signing of the committee were among others: Yulia Tymoshenko
, Borys Tarasyuk
and Levko Lukyanenko
. Although they were invited, and also in opposition to President Viktor Yanukovych
, former President Viktor Yushchenko
and former presidential candidate
Arseniy Yatsenyuk
were not present and have not commented about the committee.
After the first rally of the movement (near the Verkhovna Rada building
on May 11, 2010) opposition supporters complained of being hassled by the police in an attempt to limit the number of participants in the rally. According to the police buses were only stopped because companies didn't have permits to travel in convoys or if buses were in bad technical shape. Ukrainian
Minister of Internal Affairs Anatolii Mohyliov
stated on May 13, 2010 “The law allows rallies but bans street barricades and loud shouts”.
Mykola Tomenko
, member of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, predicted on May 11, 2010 opposition rallies would get bigger and louder in the near future.
On 8 August 2011 All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland", Rukh
, European Party of Ukraine
, People's Self-Defense, Reforms and Order Party
, Motherland Defenders Party
, Civil Position
and Front for Change formed the Dictatorship Resistance Committee
"to better coordinate our efforts".
Mykola Azarov
called the ideas of the committee "hysterical and hopeless". Meanwhile, one of the members of Party of Regions
Valeriy Konovalyuk
stated that "the committee is unlikely to receive support from the population".
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
formed May 2010. The committee intends to hold a mass protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
against the policies of President Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
.
Goals
The organisation sees as its main tasks:- Protection of the territorial integrity of the state
- Protection of the rights and freedoms of citizens
- the cessation of "anti-Ukrainian humanitarian policies
- Rejection of any attempts to establish foreign monitoring over strategic enterprises and sectors of Ukrainian industry
- Preservation of the Euro-Atlantic choice of Ukraine
- Move forward towards civilized European values
Declaration of the People's Committee to Protect Ukraine
On the May 10, 2010 the committee released the following opening statement:
On the May 10, 2010, we, representatives of political
parties and civil organizations have created People's Committee to Protect Ukraine.
Taking into account the danger of loosing the statehood and democratic freedoms by Ukrainian population in results of actions of Yanukovych's regime we announce the
consolidation of all forces to coordinate the actions in order to protect Ukraine.
In the conditions of widely spread attacks of the Yanukovych's regime onto the
live-important national interest of UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
the first task of the Committee is to
organize all-Ukrainian opposition movement to:
- protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine;
- protect the main freedoms
Freedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and political rights;- stop anti-Ukrainian policy in Ukraine and protect Ukrainian identity;
- stop any efforts to impose the foreign control over strategically important factories and sections of Ukrainian industry;
- hold the Euro-Atlantic choice of Ukraine and keep orientation onto European values.
Our actions will be carried out in accordance with the rights and freedoms defined by
the Constitution of UkraineConstitution of UkraineThe Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
, will be open for equal rights partnership to protect Ukraine.
History
On May 10, 2010 nine political parties and several non-governmental organizations signed a document on the creation of the committee:- Ukrainian Social-Democratic Party
- European Party of UkraineEuropean Party of UkraineThe European Party of Ukraine is a Ukrainian political party that has a centre-right/liberal character.-History:In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the party was part of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc alliance, that won 72 out of 450 seats.The party supported Yulia...
- All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland"
- People's Movement of UkrainePeople's Movement of UkraineThe People's Movement of Ukraine is a Ukrainian center-right political party...
(Rukh) - Motherland Defenders PartyMotherland Defenders PartyThe Motherland Defenders Party is a political party in Ukraine registered in July 1997.-Election results:The party ran independent in the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections in which it won 0.30% of the votes and no seats...
- Reforms and Order PartyReforms and Order Party-History:The party was organized in October 1997 as a right-wing party, led by ex-vice Prime Minister Viktor Pynzenyk. And it was registered as the fiftieth political party in the history of Ukrainian modern politics....
- People's Self-Defence Party
- All-Ukrainian Union "Freedom"
- Ukrainian Party
The parties Ukrainian Republican Party Assembly
Ukrainian Republican Party Assembly
The Ukrainian Republican Party "Sobor" is a political party in Ukraine. The current party was created in 2002 after the merger of the Ukrainian Republican Party and the Ukrainian People's Party "Assembly" .-May 1999:...
, Our Ukraine, Ukrainian Platform, Ukraine Cathedral and All-Ukrainian Public Organization Civil Position intended to make a decision about joining the committee.
One of the initiators of the committee is writer Dmytro Pavlychko
Dmytro Pavlychko
Dmytro Pavlychko - well-known Ukrainian poet, translator, scriptwriter, culturologist, political and public figure, dissident.- Biography :...
. Present at the opening signing of the committee were among others: Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
, Borys Tarasyuk
Borys Tarasyuk
Borys Ivanovych Tarasyuk is a Ukrainian politician. He has twice served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. He is from Zhytomyr Oblast. Tarasyuk studied international relations and international law at National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, and graduated in 1975...
and Levko Lukyanenko
Levko Lukyanenko
Levko Lukyanenko ; is a Ukrainian politician, and Soviet dissident and Hero of Ukraine.-Biography:Lukyanenko was born on 24 August 1928 in the Khrypivka village of Chernihiv Oblast, in the USSR...
. Although they were invited, and also in opposition to President Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
, former President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
and former presidential candidate
Ukrainian presidential election, 2010
The Ukrainian presidential election of 2010 is Ukraine's fifth presidential election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first round was held on January 17, 2010...
Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Arseniy Petrovych Yatsenyuk is a Ukrainian politician, economist and lawyer. Yatsenyuk served in the government of Ukraine as Minister of Economy from 2005 to 2006; subsequently he was Foreign Minister of Ukraine in 2007 and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada from 2007 to 2008.-Early life:Arseniy...
were not present and have not commented about the committee.
After the first rally of the movement (near the Verkhovna Rada building
Verkhovna Rada building
The Verkhovna Rada building is located in the center of the capital city of Ukraine Kiev, in the Pechersk Raion. It is the place where the Ukrainian parliament meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions...
on May 11, 2010) opposition supporters complained of being hassled by the police in an attempt to limit the number of participants in the rally. According to the police buses were only stopped because companies didn't have permits to travel in convoys or if buses were in bad technical shape. Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Minister of Internal Affairs Anatolii Mohyliov
Anatolii Mohyliov
Anatolii Volodymyrovych Mohyliov is the Prime Minister of Crimea since November 8, 2011 and former Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs.-Biography:...
stated on May 13, 2010 “The law allows rallies but bans street barricades and loud shouts”.
Mykola Tomenko
Mykola Tomenko
Mykola Volodymyrovych Tomenko is a Ukrainian politician and statesman. He has been a member of the Verkhovna Rada for two consecutive convocations . In Verkhovna Rada he served as the Chairman of the Freedom of Speech and Mass Media Committee...
, member of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, predicted on May 11, 2010 opposition rallies would get bigger and louder in the near future.
On 8 August 2011 All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland", Rukh
People's Movement of Ukraine
The People's Movement of Ukraine is a Ukrainian center-right political party...
, European Party of Ukraine
European Party of Ukraine
The European Party of Ukraine is a Ukrainian political party that has a centre-right/liberal character.-History:In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the party was part of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc alliance, that won 72 out of 450 seats.The party supported Yulia...
, People's Self-Defense, Reforms and Order Party
Reforms and Order Party
-History:The party was organized in October 1997 as a right-wing party, led by ex-vice Prime Minister Viktor Pynzenyk. And it was registered as the fiftieth political party in the history of Ukrainian modern politics....
, Motherland Defenders Party
Motherland Defenders Party
The Motherland Defenders Party is a political party in Ukraine registered in July 1997.-Election results:The party ran independent in the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections in which it won 0.30% of the votes and no seats...
, Civil Position
Civil Position
Civil Position is a political party in Ukraine registered in March 2005 . The party did not participate in any parliamentary elections. It is lead by former Minister of Defence of Ukraine Anatoliy Hrytsenko.During the 2010 Ukrainian local elections the parties result where nihilistic...
and Front for Change formed the Dictatorship Resistance Committee
Dictatorship Resistance Committee
The Dictatorship Resistance Committee is an alliance formed by several political parties in Ukraine opposed to President Viktor YanukovichIt was formed in August, 2011 and came to join some other opposition alliances that were already active...
"to better coordinate our efforts".
Authorities' response
In early May 2010, Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
Mykola Azarov
Mykola Azarov
Mykola Yanovych Azarov ; born Nikolai Yanovich Pakhlo on 17 December 1947, is a Ukrainian politician who has been the Prime Minister of Ukraine since 11 March 2010. He was the First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 2002 to 2005 and again from 2006 to 2007, and he also served as acting...
called the ideas of the committee "hysterical and hopeless". Meanwhile, one of the members of Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
Valeriy Konovalyuk
Valeriy Konovalyuk
Valeriy Illich Konovalyuk , is a Ukrainian economist and politician. He has been elected to the Verhovna Rada three times . Currently, he is a member of the Party of Regions and the Head of the Konovalyuk Commission.-References:...
stated that "the committee is unlikely to receive support from the population".