Government approved bill to prevent prosecution and punishment of persons engaged in events during the protest rallies since February 22

At the session on Friday, April 18, the Government approved a draft law called to prevent prosecution and punishment of persons who had been involved into the events that were taking place during the mass protest rallies, which had started on February 22, 2014.

During An Hour of Questions to the Government at the Parliament the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed: “We consider that in case any person who illegally took weapon in hands and seized buildings give away the weapon and free these buildings, they should be amnestied. We need peace and harmony within the country”. 

He emphasized the amnesty would not concern grave crimes: “But regarding all other people who will give away the weapon and get out of the buildings, we are ready to free them from criminal responsibility”.  

“This law has been prepared. If there is the will of the whole Ukrainian Parliament, including our political opponents, the law will be immediately registered and let’s vote for that,” Arseniy Yatsenyuk proposed. 

The Head of Government stressed the Cabinet of Ministers was furthering activity directed to decentralizing of the state power: “It concerns neither our negotiations in the quadripartite format nor requirements of Russia. It is the demand of Ukrainian people – to decentralize power, to hand over the authorities to the local communities and regions, change the Tax and Budget Codes and fill the regions with extra financial resource”.

“The Government of Ukraine has always protected and still protecting the national minorities, Russian-speaking population, as all of them are the citizens of Ukraine. We are one country, irrespectively of who speaks which language, who attends what church and who reads which page in the history of Ukraine in which way,” Arseniy Yatsenyuk said.